Unexpected
by Marveler303
Summary: Erik Lensherr despises humans. His goal is to eliminate the human race so that only mutants remain. So what will happen when Erik happens to fall in love with a woman who is part of the species he wants to exterminate? Set just after X-men First Class
1. Prologue

_1963_

No matter how hard she tried; Fate couldn't sleep that night.

It was the same most nights actually, tossing and turning in restlessness as her dreams were plagued by future events.

Fate's mutation allowed her to see into the future. She could see everyone's future; except her own.

The dream she was having at the moment was unsurprisingly intricate. Fate wasn't unfamiliar with the fact that she couldn't understand her dream.

However, this one was different. The person she dreamt of was not a human, which were the species who normally featured in her dreams.

Instead she dreamt of a fellow mutant, a mutant that the whole world was familiar with.

His name was Erik Lensherr.

Fate concluded that her powers must have been off that night, because what she saw was virtually impossible.

The fervent passion Erik displayed in the dream, to a woman of a species that he despised, was questionable. However, deep down Fate knew it would happen.

Her dreams were never wrong. And if she was right about this one; then she anticipated that the upcoming week was going to be very interesting.

Fate climbed out of bed, stretching her adamant muscles and running her fingers through her tousled fizzy curls.

She knew of a mutant, Charles Xavier, that could help her figure out whether her dream was reliable or not.

Due to his undoubtedly powerful mutation, Charles Xavier would be the best candidate for figuring out what her dream meant.

She knew that it would be prudent to visit him soon about her problem, so this is what she decided to do.

Having a quick shower and throwing on some old clothes, Fate grabbed her keys and coat from her bedside table. Turning her head, she scanned the room to see if she had forgotten anything.

When she decided she hadn't, she walked quickly out the door, contemplating what would be the best and quickest way to get to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as soon as possible.

**So thats the prologue, I know its a bit of a slow start but I will try to pick it up within the next few chapters. Please review! **


	2. Planning

Erik Lensherr scowled at his surroundings, the metal walls of his hideout not helping to improve his mood.

Erik's gaze caught the number that was permanently imprinted on his wrist, the number bringing back horrifying memories that he was determined to lock into the dark corners of his mind.

That number reminded him of the cause; his motive. The number was something that plagued him everyday and represented the very species that he wanted to eradicate.

It was unfortunate that there was so many of them, and that the task of eliminating them would be a hard one. But still, he had his ways.

Erik Lensherr was not prone to giving up.

The door's to his left made a distinctive sound as they opened all of a sudden to reveal the person Erik had requested to see.

"Aaah Raven." He greeted her with a curt nod.

Raven scowled at him, crossing her arms over her blue body "I told you to call me Mystique."

A hint of a smile formed on Erik's lips. He had always admired Raven's determination, even if it was aimed at something as simple as a title.

"Forgive me." He replied softly and he could see it in her eyes that he was forgiven before the words had even formed on his lips.

"Of course." was her anticipated reply. Raven pulled out the metal chair that was situated across from Erik, seating herself while looking at him questionably.

"So what did you want me for?" she enquired with raised eyebrows.

Erik offered his hand to her. "I'll show you."

Raven took his hand as Erik started to lead her out of the metal room and into a corridor that was opposite the doors that she'd entered from a moment ago. The corridor was long and narrow, which veered off to the right, but was also connected to a series of intricate tunnels that were there for emergencies. Instead of leading her to the tunnels, Erik directed her to the right, causing them to stop in front of a large, metal door.

All of a sudden, a red beam erupted from the circle that was imprinted in the centre of the door. The beam slid down Erik's face before the door opened; Raven following Erik inside as it did so.

The room they were now in was symmetric with the walls littered with what looked like blue prints. A table stood adamantly in the middle of the room, its surface engulfed in blue prints as well. Raven strolled up to the table, examining the blue prints carefully. There was something that she recognised on the pieces of paper, but she couldn't quite remember what it was.

"Do you recognise them?" Erik asked, suddenly behind her.

Raven frowned. She was getting even more exasperated with each second that passed.

Then suddenly; it dawned on her.

"This is a blueprint of cerebro." She conceded.

Erik smiled "Correc.t"

Raven turned to look at him. His expression was triumphant, making her instantly feel that whatever he was planning wouldn't sit well with her.

"What is this?" She asked him quietly, knowing that she didn't really want to hear the answer.

Erik looked her meaningfully in the eye. "You know what it is Mystique. It's part of our plan to finally rid the world of the filth that we share our planet with."

Raven looked down at the floor, shifting uncomfortably.

"Your not having second thoughts are you?" Erik inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Well no but-" Raven paused as she considered what she was about to say next "Its just that I miss Charles that's all."

Erik stepped closer to her, laying a hand on her arm, his gaze intense.

"You know Charles doesn't understand. He wants peace with the humans. Peace that can never exist. Peace that isn't a option. This is the only way Mystique, the only way where you'll be able to live in a world that will make you proud of who you are." He said softly.

Raven closed her eyes.

"Mutant and Proud." She whispered.

Erik lifted her chin so that she was making direct eye contact with him.

"Exactly. As I've said before, you're a exquisite creature. Truly beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Raven let his words sink in, replaying them over and over in her mind. This was where she wanted to be. This was the only way.

"Your right." She decided.

Walking over to the blueprints, she picked one up and scanned the pages.

Erik came to stand beside her, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

"Glad to see you warming to the cause." He said derisively.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him. "Shut it Magneto."

Together they studied the blueprints, Erik occasionally letting out cries of frustration, resulting in him destroying a metal object in the room. He was trying to figure out how to rebuild cerebro, but it wouldn't be easy. In fact, by the progress they were making, it seemed like the task would be next to impossible.

Erik sighed. Rising to his feet, he beckoned for Raven to follow him out of the room.

As they walked through the corridors, Erik wondered if he had the power to accomplish his goal. Even with the help of thousands, his task was still a difficult one.

Erik was broken from his thoughts as they arrived to find Angel, Riptide, Azazel and Emma Frost awaiting there return.

Emma smiled lasciviously at Erik.

_Hello sugar, so how come you've kept us waiting so long? _

Erik rolled his eyes at the sound of the telepaths voice inside his head. He could feel her in his mind, but only to a certain extent. Emma Frost knew better then to invade any of Erik's memories or thoughts for fear of what he'd do to her if she ever did so.

"So Magneto, what's our next move?" Emma asked out loud.

"Riptide and Angel, I want you to stand guard here while Emma, Azazel and I infiltrate the CIA. Mystique I want you to go undercover at Charles's school, make sure that he's not on to my plans." Erik instructed.

The others nodded, not really having a choice in the matter, and separated to go and do their Jobs. However, Raven stayed behind, her expression alarmed as she walked up to Erik and pulled him into a corner.

"I wont spy on Charles." She said adamantly.

Erik sighed. "Mystique, we talked about this-"

"Yes we did, but I thought we were leaving him out of it!" She interrupted

"In order accomplish our goal, I need to know that Charles isn't going to get in my way. That's all it is. You don't have to harm him. Just check that he's not on to us." Erik replied calmly.

Raven considered this before nodding reluctantly.

"Alright," She relented " But I don't like it."

Erik chuckled. "Sometimes Mystique, people have to do things they don't like."

Raven rolled her eyes and stalked off, leaving Erik with Emma and Azazel.

"Shall we?" Erik held out his hand to Emma as she took Azazel's hand.

_We shall_ She responded in Erik's head.

Together they teleported to the CIA, neither of them knowing what the future would bring.


	3. Discoveries

Fate tapped her knuckles on the huge brown door in front of her while waiting anxiously for someone to answer. It hadn't taken her long to get to Xavier's school.

However standing outside waiting seemed to take even longer than her journey to the following destination. As you could tell, Fate was not a very patient woman.

Eventually the door opened and a smart woman dressed in a perfectly-ironed suit stood in the doorway.

"I am looking for someone" Fate told her as soon as the woman was in view.

The woman arched an eyebrow.

"Care to be more specific?" The woman replied derisively.

Fate scowled at her before replying with malice " I am here to see Charles Xavier, now where is he?"

The woman smirked at Fate as a feeble attempt to be intimidating.

"And who are you?" She enquired.

Fate could feel her temper getting closer within each second. This woman knew how to push her buttons and if Fate didn't stay calm then she would undoubtedly succeed.

So Fate smiled sweetly at her, stepping closer to the doorway.

"My name is Fate Evans, I have important information concerning Erik Lensherr to discuss with Charles" She said adamantly.

Just as the woman was about to retort a reply, the voice of Charles Xavier sounded from behind them: "Let her past Louise, The things his girl knows would probably shock you beyond your wildest imagination"

Fate earned the pleasure of smirking this time while pushing past Louise and into the childhood home of Charles Xavier. As Charles led them through, Fate had to refrain from gasping at everything she saw. Her surroundings were littered with old artefacts and ancient paintings hung on walls that ranged from dark mahogany to light cream. The corridors seemed relentless and Fate was lost within 5 minutes of entering the place. Finally, they came to two large wooden doors which Charles pushed open to reveal a medium sized room that Fate assumed was his study. A dark mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room while surrounded by books and ornaments.

"I apologise for the mess. However, I wasn't really expecting company" Charles explained as he wheeled himself over to sit behind the desk.

He looked up at Louise, who was still present in the room, and stared at her in a way that Fate assumed that he was talking to her telepathically. Charles frowned at Louise, obviously displeased with something. About a minute later, Louise left, leaving Fate alone with Charles.

Fate shuffled uncomfortably, not knowing exactly what to say now that she was in Charles's presence.

"I am assuming you know why I am here" She finally said.

Charles nodded "I do , but I think I shall let you explain it to me first so that you may get your head around it. That is why you're here after all, is it not?".

It was Fate who nodded this time "Its is. Well as you probably know my mutation allows me to see into the future-"

_Sorry to interrupt but I must say that your mutation is a very unique and groovy mutation, one that I wouldn__'__t mind looking into more closely if you don__'__t mind?_, Charles voice in Fate's head suddenly stopped her sentence in its tracks.

_No I don__'__t mind, _Fate thought in her head, knowing Charles would hear it.

_Excellent, oh and please, do continue_!, He replied apologetically.

Fate flushed as she continued; " So yesterday I had a dream, which are normally visions of the future, that Erik Lensherr will fall in love with a human named Serena Clark. I was confused because of Erik's history of hating humans, that would be the last thing that would ever happen. So I was just wondering if it really was a dream? Or if it is real?"

Charles frowned, stroking his chin with his right hand.

"Well from what I can understand your powers have never failed you before? You have always been accurate in your telling of the future?" He asked her.

Fate nodded which seemed to make Charles's look even more unsettled.

"Well all mutants know of Erik and how he feels about humans. Perhaps his hatred could very likely turn into something deeper, more passionate. It is not, after all, virtually impossible for even Erik to fall in love with a human" Charles digressed "But I have looked into your mind and I know that we can trust your power. If you say that this is going to happen, then it is inevitable. The question is when? And what will happen when it does?"

Fate considered Charles's words carefully. He was right of course. But Fate had found the idea so absurd that she had already deemed it impossible. She felt content knowing that she could trust her power. And with Charles Xavier by her side, she knew that she'd never have a doubt in her mind again.

Behind the door, Louise had her ear pressed tightly to the doors, listening in on the conversation. When she heard silence. Louise morphed back into her original form, her pale sin becoming a scaly blue and her blond hair becoming a coppery red. The silver head band that she wore that isolated her thoughts from Charles was still intact on her head.

Raven stood frozen, shocked by what she'd just heard.

Erik? Falling in love with a human? It was impossible, unthinkable.

Raven knew that she'd have to warn Erik about the lies that the girl was spreading. Because it must have all been a dream on her part. Erik did not fall in love with humans. As Raven departed from her old childhood home, she told herself over and over again that it wasn't true, ignoring the little feeling at the back of her mind that told her otherwise.

* * *

Serena Clark sighed as she gathered the papers that were scattered across her bosses desk, putting them into a neat pile. The desk was absolute chaos, objects littered across it in a northerly fashion. Every time she attempted to tidy up she always got distracted by a job that the CIA had for her.

Her position in the CIA wasn't high up, far from it in fact. Serena was basically the equivalent of a intern, learning the ropes as people would call it. Although that's definitely not what she'd call it. She'd call it, having to work as someone's slave temporarily, which included cleaning up the mess that they'd failed to do themselves. Serena tucked a lock of her straight chin-length brown hair behind her ear, a habit she did when she was contemplating something. Just as she was about to make her decision, shouts and screams filled her ears.

Serena jumped, then looked around frantically, wondering what to do. Should she hide? Go and see what is going on?

Before she could make her decision, someone appeared in front of her. She almost screamed at the suddenness of it. However, when she actually looked at the person in front of her; she gasped in shock.

His skin was a deep red which stood out even more because of his jet black hair and clothing. He had a tail with a pointed end that reminded Serena of the devil.

Serena backed herself up against the wall, finding herself unable to speak.

All of a sudden, the door to the right of her was ripped from its hinges, which would have hit Serena if she hadn't ducked in time. Sauntering through the door, a woman with blonde hair and snow white clothing entered the room, a smirk on her face.

Behind her followed a man who's face Serena was sure she'd never forget.

His demeanour was cold and business-like as he strolled into the room, suggesting that he was clearly the indicator in this interrogation. He had light brown hair that was carefully slicked back and hard blue eyes that looked soulless and unfeeling. Serena felt instantly scared of this man, but she also felt sorry for him too. As she could tell that there was a story that explained the way he was; she just didn't know it.

"Emma?" The man asked the blonde woman.

Emma frowned. "She isn't a agent, but she may be of some use to us. Her thoughts are very jumbled and its hard to pick out information"

Serena felt a shiver down her spine, almost anticipating what was going to happen next.

"Hmm, well she's better than nothing, Azazel!" The man ordered. Everything happened fast after that. The man who looked like the devil made a grab for Serena, as she tried to side step out of his way. Unfortunately she sidestepped right into the other man's arms, the man with the cold eyes and light brown hair.

"Not so fast" The man said to Serena, tightening his grip on her.

He then abruptly pushed her into the devil man, Serena crashing into him uncontrollably. The devil man grabbed her and then Serena saw her surroundings flash before he eyes until she realised that she was no longer in the room with the messy desk anymore. She was in another room. A room that was large and had only a metal table and chair in the centre, with 2 metal doors at each end.

"Where am I?" She demanded shakily to the devil man.

He smiled back at her. "Your worst nightmare"


	4. Confrontation

**Hey I am very sorry for not updating for ages! I will try to do it more often from now on! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

Raven strode through the metal doors of their hideout, her mind elsewhere as she entered the room. She was snapped out of her thoughts as she laid eyes on the woman that was currently stationed in the centre of the room, her blue eyes flickering back and forth in their sockets.

Raven raised her eyebrows.

"Azazel what is this? Where's Magneto?" she demanded.

"I am here" sounded a voice from behind her.

Raven turned to find Erik and Emma entering the room, smug smiles plastered onto both of their faces. She instantly decided she didn't like that expression, especially on Erik, because it was that look that made her aware that he was up to something.

The woman in the chair fidgeted under her tightly wrapped bonds, the noise of her struggling filling the room.

"You're a feisty little thing aren't you?" Erik asked her derisively.

The woman responded with a glare so filled with malice that anyone who wasn't Erik would have withered on the spot having been subjected to it.

Erik, however, was unfazed by it and merely smirked in response, nodding to Emma as he walked in Raven's direction.

When he approached her, Erik took her to one side, moving them to the corner so that their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"Erik? I don't understand. Who is that-" Raven demanded but Erik interrupted her.

"I won't harm her if that's what your worried about. We just need her to see if she knows anything the CIA knows."

Raven put her hands on her hips in a exasperated manner. "But its clear she doesn't know anything."

Erik's blue eyes suddenly turned stone cold. " We can't be sure of that. And until I am sure, she'll be staying here for a while."

Raven wanted to protest further but she knew better than to question Erik when he was in this mood. She saw his abrupt change in expression and thought that it would be best to just leave the matter at hand. Plus, what did she care what he did with some random human anyway?

"Fine" She agreed adamantly.

"Good. Now what is my dear old friend Charles up to then?" was Erik's sudden question.

Raven shuffled uncomfortably, reluctant to tell him what she had over heard Charles discussing with the future-seeing mutant. She had contemplated how to tell him on her way back, but hadn't found a way to do it which wouldn't result in Erik loosing his mind in some shape or form. So Raven just did what felt right in that moment; she lied.

"Oh nothing in particular. He's just running that school of his, not doing anything important." She told him, hoping that he believed every word she said.

Surprisingly, Erik didn't seem to be even remotely suspicious. He just nodded his head in satisfaction, his gaze focused on Emma and the blue-eyed woman .

"Good." He replied " I would hate to have to harm Charles, if he was planning on stopping me."

Raven snorted at that. "He will try and stop you. This is Charles were talking about. The one who's always doing good. Its only a matter of time."

The dormant spark in Erik's blue eyes suddenly sprang to life just as Raven said those words.

"Yes, and when it is time. I will be ready for him." He said menacingly.

Raven looked at him, a serious expression on her face. "I know you will be. And so will I."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "So your okay with fighting against him?"

Raven shrugged. "I am not okay with it but I've come to terms with it. Charles and I don't believe in the same thing and I've accepted that."

"I am glad that you've figured that out. Now I need you to help me with this interrogation, I have a feeling that it is going to take longer than I would like it to." Erik praised as he gave her a smile. The first smile that Raven had saw in ages from him.

Together, they walked towards the woman, who had grown restless in her struggles and was staring blankly ahead.

Erik removed the cloth that was tied around her mouth and then stood back, examining her in a way Raven recognised.

"What is your name?" He asked the woman adamantly.

For a while, she didn't reply. She took so long to respond that Raven was sure that she wasn't going to answer.

"Serena." The woman finally whispered.

Erik gave Serena a smile that was a cross between patronising and charming.

"Now Serena, we can do this the hard way, or the easy way. I am sure you'd like to take the easy way, am I correct?"

Serena scowled at the man who continued to circle her like a predator stalking his prey. As that is what Serena felt like at that moment; his prey.

Slowly, she shook her head, looking him straight in the eye. She refused to give him the satisfaction of intimidating her. Erik couldn't help but admire her nerve. As much as he hated to admit, she seemed to be much stronger than the average human.

"Good now tell us, what do you know about the CIA? I've learnt that you are a intern from Emma?" Erik asked Serena.

Serena looked down her nose at him "That's right."

"So as a intern you must have eavesdropped on private conversations had by your superiors, because as you are human, naturally you would like to find out information that

does not concern you." Erik retorted.

Serena didn't know how to respond to that, so she decided not to.

Erik took her silence as a yes then waited for her to provide further explanation. When she didn't, he glared at her; a silent warning that indicated that her co-operation was vital if she wanted to survive. Serena narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to do what ever he wanted to her, in her opinion she had nothing to loose.

Raven watched them both with hidden fascination. It was almost as if they were communicating telepathically, but that obviously wasn't the case since Serena wasn't a mutant.

Still if Serena was a mutant, Raven guessed that she would be a very powerful one, almost as powerful as Erik. She shivered at the thought, glad that Serena was 100% human. The last thing they needed was another mutant that was just as powerful as Erik. They already had Charles and that was bound to end badly.

Raven, even though she hid it well, felt guilty about going against her childhood friend. Charles had took her in when she'd had no where to go and she repaid him by teaming up with the worlds worst mutant. However, Raven couldn't help but be drawn to Erik. His views were correct and she couldn't decipher why anyone, especially someone as intelligent as Charles, would disagree with them. She supposed it had something to do with the insistent sympathy that Charles seemed to have towards the human race, a sympathy that Raven herself used to possess; before she discovered the truth. Years of hiding her true form aided in her decision to join Erik, and because Charles encouraged her disguising herself, that fact eased her guilt slightly whenever she started to have doubts.

"Well!" Erik barked impatiently, so abruptly he made Raven jump.

Serena gazed back at Erik, her expression resigned.

"I wasn't aware that I was required to answer your statement." She replied coolly, her expression appearing nonchalant, however Raven noticed how her hands trembled from where they were bound tightly. She was scared; but strong. A quality that Raven couldn't help but admire.

Erik's jaw clenched involuntarily, his hand twitching at his side as if he wanted to hit the source of his frustration. Despite this act, Raven knew - or at least hoped - Erik would never do such a thing. He may have hated human's but she was sure that he still possessed morals as well.

"Human's are incorrigible!" He hissed, in Serena's direction "They never change."

Serena's eyes momentarily flashed with anger, forgetting her situation and the fact that Erik currently presided over her.

"I could say the same about some." She snapped in reply, her head shooting down when she realised she'd spoken. Not in cowardice, however; in caution.

A sneer passed across Erik's face before quickly vanishing, his posture condescending.

He longed to lash out at the infuriating human, but found himself unable to do so. There was something stopping him from fulfilling the need that burned inside of him.

Just as Erik was about to reply, Raven cut in.

"Perhaps we should try a different tactic." She suggested.

Erik focused his gaze on the blue mutant standing to the right of him, his eyebrows raised questionably, blue eyes challenging.

"What Is it you had in mind?" He asked, a hint of mockery laced into his tone.

If Raven noticed the mockery, she didn't give any indication, instead choosing not to acknowledge it.

"How about getting to the point?" She replied curtly, placing her hands firmly on her hips.

Erik scowled at her before turning his attention back to the human, who was staring distractedly at a precise point in the threatening room. Despite his petulance, he knew that Raven was right. Arguing with the stubborn human would get him nowhere. Plus it made him appear feeble and prone to distractions in front of his fellow mutants; Erik Lensherr was not weak.

Edging closer than was comfortable to him, Erik struck a cold gaze at Serena, making his blue eyes as hard as the metal he'd been gifted to control.

"What do you know?" He demanded, leaning close to her.

Serena's breath hitched in her throat. Suddenly, the adrenaline that had been fuelling her ability to remain cold and nonchalant towards her situation started to drain out of her. Instantly, she was a frail, frightened woman, with wits no match for this man with the cold demeanour. Erik noticed this and smirked, satisfied with the effect he had on the inferior race.

"Nothing." Serena managed to snap out adamantly "I am an intern."

Erik narrowed his eyes, his patience waning.

All of a sudden, Serena felt herself being lifted off the ground, the metal chair carrying her into the air. She suppressed a squeal as she continued to rise, helplessness corrupting her.

Below her, the blonde woman let out a small laugh, amusement plastered across her features. Serena glanced at Erik to see his face squinted in concentration. She then realised what had caused her to defy gravity. Upon realising the source of her distress, rage boiled inside of her, waiting to spill out.

"I will ask you again," Erik said menacingly, his voice ringing through the room "What. Do. You. Know?"

Panic filled Serena as bile started to rise in her throat. Heights didn't agree with her, especially when she was suspended in the air by a man who looked as if he could turn someone to stone with one glance.

"I will tell you if you put me down." She said, a frantic note to her voice.

Erik laughed outwardly at that, amusement changing his features completely. When he laughed, his face transformed into something alluring, entirely more pleasant, perhaps even handsome. His blue eyes sparkled and crinkled at the edges, while his mouth spread out into a wide smile. Serena couldn't help but think that she wouldn't have minded being captured by him if laughed more like that.

"I don't negotiate with humans." He smiled, still chuckling, causing her to rise even higher into the air.

Serena narrowed her eyes at him, forgetting the her pleasant musings of him a second prior.

"Then I will tell you nothing!" She snapped. Despite her fear, she was determined not to let him get the better of her.

All of a sudden, Erik let go her, relieving the magnetic force that held her suspended in the air. Serena hurtled towards the ground, letting out a piecing scream as she anticipated her death.

Then, roughly, she stopped.

The metal chair that held her halted, suspended about a foot off the ground. Serena closed her eyes in relief, thanking the fact that she wasn't dead.

"Yes you will" Erik smirked, examining her stricken expression with a glint in his eye.

At that moment, Serena decided that she hated Erik Lensherr, mirroring the hate that he already felt for the human race.

* * *

Fate frowned as she thought she'd heard a noise, the source coming from behind the door that was situated behind her. She thought to ask Charles about it, but then altered her decision upon seeing his features contorted in concentration. Fate supposed that he was one of those people that over thought everything. She decided that, ultimately, this was a good thing as she knew that she lacked in the area of intelligence. Furthermore, she was glad that she'd come to Charles. It was a surprising relief to be in the presence of a fellow mutant, and she hoped that she'd have the opportunity to spend more time with him in the future.

"So," Fate said, breaking the silence between them "What do you suppose we do?"

Charles eyes had a slight glint to them as he considered his answer.

"There is nothing we can do really. We merely have to wait, only intervening when Erik takes out his frustration on some town or city of course. How I do pity the humans when Erik is in a bad mood." Charles stated, winking.

Fate let out a small chuckle at his words, her cheeks involuntarily flushing at the unanticipated humour.

All of a sudden, the door behind Fate burst open to reveal a boy with curly brown hair, an alarmed expression plastered on his features.

"Er Charles, I think you better come quick." He said urgently, his expression turning curious after noticing Fate's presence.

_You will have time to flirt with her later_, Charles's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, causing him to blush at the unexpected acknowledgement.

"Right." He muttered before turning quickly in embarrassment and leading Charles to where he was needed. Fate was conflicted in whether she should follow them or wait patiently for them to return. In the end, she decided the latter, deeming the act of following them the more applicable option. They hurried past grand furniture and ancient paintings, halting when they turned down a corridor to their left, entering a room at the end of the corridor. Inside the room, stood a muscular boy with blond hair and a creature covered in blue fur, wearing black glasses. Fate jumped in surprise, attempting not to stare at the fascinating mutation that stood before her. She had come across fellow mutants before, but never had she seen any who looked like that. She stifled the urge to stare at him, wanting to examine every aspect of his mutation.

"What is it?" Charles demanded, his brow furrowed inquisitively.

"Listen." The blond boy replied with a deep, rumbling voice.

He twisted the small button that was situated on the front of the radio that stood on the desk next to him. The voice of someone unidentifiable filled the air.

"Earlier today the CIA was infiltrated by people who haven't yet been identified. The perpetrators caused destruction to the building and sources say that they may have been mutants. Documents were also found missing, which are assumed to have been taken by the mutants. An intern at the CIA going by the name of Serena Clark has also been reported missing." The voice said mechanically.

After these words were spoken, the blond boy turned the radio down, facing Charles with a resigned expression his face.

"So do you think it was Erik?" He asked Charles.

Charles frowned.

"It is very likely." He admitted.

Upon hearing Serena's name, Fate's mind had clicked in comprehension. "Serena Clark," She muttered "That's the girl from my dream."

Eyes turned on her, asking silently for her to elaborate.

Charles suddenly had a glazed look in his eyes as they squinted in concentration. Fate assumed that he was reading her mind.

"Indeed it is," He confirmed, the glazed look leaving his expression.

"Are we going to rescue her?" The boy with the curly hair said, eagerness present in his tone.

This time, all eyes focused on Charles, as it was clear that he currently presided above all of them. Charles contemplated the idea. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to confront Erik.

"Serena is the girl from your dream," Charles assured Fate "Therefore I doubt that Erik will hurt her. However, I will need someone to go and keep an eye on her."

Confused expressions, not including Fate, greeted Charles at his words.

"Wait what's this about a dream?" The beast-like mutant inquired.

The blond boy and the curly haired boy glanced at him and then back at Charles, confirming their curiosity.

Fate flushed, suddenly embarrassed about her feeble ability to tell to the future.

Compared to the mutants she was currently with, her ability's appeared inevitably useless.

"It appears that I have a lot of explaining to do." Charles admitted, grimacing as he pondered what the mutants who allied themselves with him would be.


	5. Taking Action

Serena tried to control the tremors that threatened to rack her body as she sat huddled against the wall. She'd maintained a calm state throughout her confrontation, however she felt this calm state start to falter as she was left alone to fully contemplate the extent of her situation. After Erik had set her firmly on the ground, he'd harassed her for at least another half an hour, frequently lifting her about as if she were as light as a feather. Eventually, he began to become - as this was the only was Serena could think to describe it - bored with the situation. He'd ordered the man who's skin was the colour of blood, whose name she'd discovered was Azazel to transport her to a metal room with no windows. A bed was situated in the corner of the room, a bed which Serena had currently placed herself on, as well as a mahogany table that rested at the side of the bed.

Serena sighed, jumping in a startled gesture as a growl erupted from her stomach. She groaned in exasperation, anticipating the long period before her stomach would be pacified. Involuntarily, she began to think of her life and how it would've been before it was disrupted by these powerful beings. She was aware that mutant's existed, from the many conversations that she'd eavesdropped on throughout her internship.

She distinctly remembered a female CIA agent named Moira, discussing the matter with someone before hurrying off abruptly. Serena never heard of her again after that, making Serena wonder what actually happened to her.

All of a sudden, the blonde woman and Azazel appeared in front of her, causing Serena to let out a shriek inadvertently.

"Sorry about that." The woman smirked.

Serena noticed that she held a tray of steaming hot food, the sensuous smell emitting from it almost sending Serena into a frenzy of longing.

The woman shot a look at Azazel before he disappeared, leaving her and Serena alone.

Nerves captured Serena suddenly, her hands starting to twitch in anticipation.

"No need to look so scared." The woman told her, handing her the tray of food "I am not an animal."

Serena wrenched the food out of her grasp, her eager state making it difficult to pick up the cutlery that rested on the tray. Finally, she managed to grasp them before attacking the food savagely. She decided that she had never tasted anything so good. Despite the fact that she was completely unaware of what it was, she enjoyed it immensely. She was finished in a matter of minutes, setting the tray down next to her when she had done so while glancing suspiciously at the women. Throughout Serena's meal, the women had been scrutinizing her, appalled at the manner in which she'd devoured her food. She wondered if all humans were like that, and gratitude filled her for not being a part of the disgusting species.

"I'm Emma." The women said, unable to keep the grimace off her face at Serena's eating.

Serena smirked, satisfied with her ability to make Emma feel uncomfortable. She longed to shoot Emma an sarcastic response, but held her tongue as she knew that was far from prudent and would only result in her own misery.

"Oh." Was all Serena said.

Emma flashed her a smile of which Serena was certain would cause men's knees to grow weak. This smile, however, caused suppressed fear to seep into Serena's veins.

"Why do I need to know that?" She said flippantly, courage suddenly capturing her.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You realise that your attitude will get you nowhere."

Serena sighed in defeat, trying not to think too much about how long she'd be away from the world she knew.

"I won't be going anywhere, regardless." Was Serena's curt reply, bitterness in her tone.

Emma grinned, finding this particular human that was Serena Clark highly amusing.

"You're very negative. But your right. Who knew that humans actually possessed a brain." Emma replied derisively.

Serena clenched her fists at an attempt to control her anger.

"Human's aren't stupid. Of course we have a brain." She snapped.

Emma chuckled. "Yes sugar but you rarely use it."

Serena suppressed a scream, knowing full well that wouldn't improve her situation. She despised the mutants who held her hostage, and was certain that preying on the weak was a sign of weakness in itself. Serena would never have voiced this thought to Erik, however, for fear of what his short temper and magnetic power combined would do.

"So if your so smart, you should be able to tell me all about the CIA." Emma said slyly.

This time, Serena raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? We're back to this?"

"Yes we're back to this." Emma replied, smiling.

What the human was unaware of was that Emma mentioned the CIA tactically. She wanted Serena to think about all that she knew, so that Emma could grasp the information from her thoughts. However, when Emma attempted to read her mind, she was greeted with a blockage. A mental wall that encased itself around Serena's mind, deeming any mind reading impossible. Emma suppressed a growl of frustration and tried again, to which she was met with the wall again, which this time slammed itself into Emma's mind.

She winced at the contact, her anger starting to boil. How was she unable to read this feeble human's mind?

"Are you a mutant?" Emma demanded, angrily.

Serena stared at her with shock and wariness, looking at her as if she were stupid.

"No!." Serena snapped, her tone filled with outrage.

Emma was uncertain whether she was telling the truth as she was unable to read her mind to find out. Furthermore, just as she was furious with her own incompetence, Erik was guaranteed to have the share the same feelings.

Narrowing her eyes at Serena, Emma shifted into diamond form, locking a shimmering, adamant hand around Serena's throat. Upon this unanticipated contact, Serena clawed at the iron grip that Emma held her in, struggling to breath.

"You better not be lying to me, if you are I suggest that you tell me now." Emma hissed, tightening her grip on Serena's throat.

Serena gasped in an effort to take in a feeble attempt to take in air, feeling as if her lungs were about to burst from the lack of oxygen. She concluded that she wasn't far from collapsing, which would have aided in making her situation much worse.

"I-I am telling the t-truth." She stammered breathlessly, a desperate note in her tone.

Emma held on for a few more seconds, contemplating whether Serena's response was genuine or not before realising her. As soon as she was free, Serena collapsed onto the floor, gasping in air frantically. Her heart had slowed down from the acceleration of fear it had just endured a second ago, and her priority then was to control her breathing. She didn't notice Emma leave the room. It was only when she'd felt that she could breath normally, and looked up to give Emma a piece of her mind, was when she realised.

Serena shrieked in frustration, anger gripping her as she had yet again demonstrated her weak and feeble disadvantages. The mutants played with her as if she were simply an inanimate rag doll that possessed no feelings. This fact outraged Serena, causing hate to boil through her veins. She despised the superior attitude that they all possessed, especially Erik. Instinct told her that Erik was the worst of them all.

Her thoughts suddenly strayed to the reason behind Emma's accusation of her being a mutant. She couldn't decipher why she could have asked such a thing, surely if Serena was a mutant she would have used her powers to defend herself by then?

Serena knew that she didn't stand a chance against these mutants, however she was determined that if she were to go down; She would go down fighting. She wouldn't make it easy for them. In this new revelation, Serena smiled, content at the thought of bringing hell upon the mutants.

* * *

Erik turned as Emma suddenly strode into the room. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know that she was livid, her porcelain features contorted into a expression of rage said it all. Erik raised an eyebrow at this, halting his game of chess with Raven to avert his full attention to the outraged woman. The chess game was starting to bore him anyway as Raven was simply awful at it, making it more than easy for Erik to win every time. It was times like this that Erik found himself missing Charles, as he was the only one who was actually a worthy opponent of the game.

"Emma?" Erik questioned derisively.

Erik's tone only aided in getting Emma all riled up, her emotions sensitive to everything at that moment.

"We're wasting our time with the human. I can't read her mind and I am sure that she is far from willing to share the information herself." She said flatly, her arms folded across her chest.

Astonishment captured Erik as he wondered whether he'd heard Emma correctly.

"_You can__'__t read her mind?__"_Erik repeated menacingly, his voice suddenly dropping dangerously low.

Emma gulped, her hands starting to shake in fear.

"No I can't." She replied warily.

Abruptly, the metal table of which the chess board rested on started to shake, causing the chess pieces to fall involuntarily. Then, the table toppled over, causing Raven to let out a shriek of surprise. Emma flinched at the bang that the table made when it hit the floor, attempting to control her fear.

"Well, I guess I will have to talk to her myself since you are unable to do so." He replied icily.

Raven frowned at this. "But you already confronted her once and it didn't work."

Erik turned to look at her, his cold eyes meeting her golden-yellow ones.

"This time we will be alone. I will get her to talk." He said adamantly.

His voice had an edge to it that Raven disliked, making her wonder exactly what Erik was going to do. In that moment, she felt sorry for Serena, it wasn't her fault she was human.

"Emma could you pick those up? I am sure that is something that your capable of doing." Erik said curtly, gesturing to the chaos of chess pieces and the table resting on the floor.

Emma refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing that such an action would only land her in the same position as Serena. She watched as Erik strode out of the room, his retreating figure still remaining belligerent. Emma didn't look at Raven as she tided up, wanting to just finish the job with no interruptions.

"You don't have to do that you know." Raven said softly.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Yes I do."

There was silence for a moment, before Raven broke it.

"He's soft really, inside. He may not show it but, I know that its in there. You just need to know how to access it."

Emma grimaced at this, deeming her words incorrect before succumbing to curiosity.

"And how do you do that?" She inquired.

Raven sighed, her thoughts whirling.

"I haven't figured it out for sure yet, but for all our sakes, I hope I do."

* * *

Fate sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, examining the intricate patterns that rested on it. Charles had given her permission to stay at his school until everything blew over, which Fate feared would be a long time. After hearing the radio announcement, Fate and Charles informed the mutants (who she then knew were called Hank, Alex and Sean) of what had been going on.

"I need someone to go and keep an eye on Serena." Charles had said.

The rest of them were silent as they contemplated who would be the best candidate for this. Finally, Alex spoke.

"What about Alisa?" Alex suggested, to which he was met with approving stares.

"Of course!" Charles exclaimed "How intuitive of you Alex."

While the others praised Alex for his contribution, Fate remained ignorant beside them.

"Who is that?" She finally inquired when she'd realised that they had no intention of telling her unless she asked.

"Forgive us Fate I believe we got carried away. Alisa is a mutant who has just recently came to the school. She has the power of invisibility, which will come in very handy for this mission." Charles clarified.

Fate nodded, pleased to understand what they were actually talking about.

All of a sudden, a girl ,who looked around 18, with dark brown skin walked into the room. Her black hair was done into a high ponytail and she wore a black leather jacket that created a mysterious aura about her.

"Aa here she is now, Fate this is Alisa. Alisa meet Fate." Charles said pleasantly.

Fate smiled awkwardly at her. Fate disliked meeting new people and attempted to avoid it as much as possible. She did this because meeting new people triggered her future-seeing abilities, insuring that she yet had to endure another sleepless night as a result.

"Nice to meet you." Fate said, her hand twitching at her side as she wondered whether she should shake the other girls hand.

Alisa smiled warmly, deeming any hesitation that Fate previously possessed irrelevant.

"Nice to meet you too." She replied, shaking Fate's now outstretched hand.

Alisa focused her attention on Charles, raising a questioning eyebrow as she contemplated why he had been discussing her.

"So what made me the topic of conversation?" She asked derisively.

Charles smiled back at her in return.

"You are so lovely Alisa, why wouldn't you be the topic of conversation?" He said with a wink, causing Alex and Sean to snicker noisily.

Alisa rolled her eyes at Charles's common display of humour, having already become accustomed to it since she'd been at his school.

"Very funny. But Seriously?" She questioned.

Charles then proceeded to inform her of what was going on, and then asked her if she would keep an eye on Serena.

"So will you do it?" He inquired after he'd finished.

Conflicted emotions passed across Alisa's features. She wanted to help Serena, but at the same time she was afraid of setting foot near that psychopath of a mutant that was Erik Lensherr. In the end, her good side conquered the bad.

"Alright." She complied reluctantly.

A broad smile broke out on Charles's features, making Alisa feel glad that she'd accepted after all.

"Excellent." He said, clearly appeased.

After that was agreed, they proceeded to discuss the plan of the mission, wanting Alisa to be fully prepared for what she was up against.

As Fate laid, she contemplated the outcome of Erik falling in love with a human.

She supposed that the act would make him more sympathetic towards the race, however, knowing Erik that was still unlikely to occur. All Fate was aware of was that Erik was blissfully happy in her dream, along with Serena. They both wore faces of contentment, an expression of which Fate had never wore in her life. She decided to push these thoughts from her mind as they began to stir feelings inside of her that she had no desire to feel.

So in the replace of her musings, Fate closed her eyes and attempted to sleep, knowing that her dreams would still be inevitably plagued with visions anyway.

* * *

**Okay so thats the 5th chapter! Just to clarify a few things, Serena is definitely not a mutant! So don't think that I've gone against the whole point of the story! And I don't own the Character Alisa. She is an actual character from the X-Men comics, specifically Young X-men, and if you want to search her than just type in Cipher X-men. Anyway apart from that, I hope you liked it and I'll try to update soon! **


	6. Leaving

Erik sighed in annoyance as he strode in the direction of where Serena was confined. She was proving to be a liability, one that Erik desperately wanted to get rid of. However, he knew that would be far from prudent as he was certain she held information that was of at least a little value to him. So until Erik got the information he desired; Serena Clark was going nowhere.

He turned down a secluded corridor where a scanner rested on the wall. He placed his right eye in front of the scanner, his posture still as it identified him. The wall before him parted to reveal the room in which Serena was kept in. When Erik entered he found her sprawled across the bed that was situated in the corner of the room, her hands settled behind her head. Upon Erik's arrival she sprang up, her eyes hardening when she realised who her visitor was.

"Out of all the people-" Erik heard her whisper to herself.

He smiled in satisfaction, pleased that he'd managed to get to her.

Nodding at her curtly, he strode further into the room, crossing his hands over his chest.

Serena stared at him, perplexed at the sudden visit. She had thought that he was intelligent enough to realise that she didn't know anything, but obviously she was dealing with the most ignorant mutant of them all. She wanted him to leave, and yet she still couldn't help scrutinizing every detail of him. If you took away the cold stare and belligerent demeanour, Erik was actually very handsome. Serena was suddenly filled with gratitude that Erik's power wasn't mind-reading as she was certain she didn't want him to know what she'd been thinking just then. Furthermore, she was angry with herself at thinking that way about him. He was holding her hostage after all, not to mention that he viewed her beneath the ground he walked on.

"Now you're going to tell me what you know. And your going to tell me now." Erik said coldly, directing his piecing blue eyed stare at her.

"You just get straight to the point don't you?" Serena replied dryly, despite her insides that were tied in an intricate pattern of fear.

Serena suddenly the necklace that sat nicely on her neck tighten, causing her to claw at it desperately.

"Don't push me." Erik snapped, before releasing the hold on her necklace.

Serena gasped for air as soon as she'd been released, shooting a glare in Erik's direction.

"I don't know anything." She told him breathlessly, touching her neck self consciously to see if he had caused any markings.

"Don't lie to me."

Without warning, the necklace tightened again, this time with more vigour than before. Serena suppressed a scream, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she glared at him, pouring all of her hatred into that one gaze.

Erik looked at her and felt something involuntarily stir inside of him, it came as quickly as it went, however its presence was undoubtable. Erik ignored it and continued with his interrogation.

"I will ask you again, What do you know?." He demanded.

Serena clawed at the necklace again in a feeble attempt to wrench it off her neck.

"N-nothing." She choked out.

The necklace tighten even more, causing Serena to gasp in agony. She didn't know if she could take it any longer. Rage boiled within her, overriding any other emotions.

"STOP IT!" She managed to yell fervently.

Surprisingly, her yell did the trick as it startled Erik so much that it caused him to release his hold on the necklace. Serena gasped in relief, choking in chunks of air at once to restore her breathing to what it was before Erik had confronted her.

Erik scowled, livid at the fact that he let a human surprise him like that. He had to admit that she possessed a lot of nerve. Erik hated the weak and it was somewhat comforting to know that Serena Clark wasn't one of those people. Clearly she was tactical and intelligent, which was why he remained persistent in thinking that she knew something.

"What are you going to kill me now?" She snapped, her anger suppressing her fear. She couldn't believe his actions, and she had honestly thought that he last moments on earth would be in a small room with a man who despised her existence.

"No." was Erik's curt reply "You still haven't given me any information."

Serena growled in frustration, causing Erik to smirk in amusement. At least human's were never boring, especially this one.

"I don't know anything!" She practically shouted.

Erik sat on the bed that she was currently situated on, leaning in slowly. He stopped when his head was just above her legs, which were spread out in front of her. Serena's breath hitched in her throat, her body paralysed with Erik suddenly being in close proximity.

"We'll see." He replied menacingly.

Abruptly, he got up and strode out the room, his heart suddenly accelerating. As he made his way back towards where the others were, Erik hoped that the reason he didn't want to kill her was just so that he could find out information, not because he actually liked having her around.

* * *

Alisa frowned as she examined the place that Erik had chosen to confine himself in. She had to admit that he was incredibly adept and shielding his whereabouts as it had taken her ages to find him. However, Erik obviously made mistakes as eventually she had found it, filled with victory at her accomplishment. Erik had chosen to hide himself away in a cave of some sort, its exterior quite large. Alisa strode into the mouth of the cave to find a metal door on the wall. She rolled her eyes at the metal, not surprised. She supposed that the whole of his hideout was metal, so that he was able to manipulate anything he chose to.

Alisa closed her eyes, conjuring her mutant ability to render herself completely unseen. When she was fully invisible, she walked through the metal door, her mind in complete concentration. As well as being able to turn invisible, Alisa was able to pass through solid object, a power she found handy when she desired to get through locked doors and stuff like that. Alisa scanned the metal corridor that she was in as she explored, wondering where Serena was being confined. After walking around for about half an hour, she finally came to a door which had a scanner that rested at the side of it. Alisa walked through the door as if it were air. She jumped as she discovered a woman with short brown hair sprawled across the bed, her eyes closed.

_Looks like I__'__ve found Serena_, She thought as she memorised the way that she'd come.

Attempting to be as quiet as possible, Alisa manoeuvred out of the room and back out into one of the many corridors, where she continued to wander.

Later on she found herself stood in front of two double metal doors, the kind that Alisa assumed were automatic. Just as Alisa was about to walk through them, she halted, considering her actions. If she walked through the doors would have appeared to have just opened by themselves, which was undoubtedly going to arouse suspicion.

So instead, she slumped against the wall, knowing that she was entitled to a long wait before someone would walk through the door.

Unexpectedly, a second later the door opened, causing Alisa to jump in surprise. Erik, a blonde woman and the blue mutant who Charles had told her about (Alisa thought her name was Raven) strode through it. Alisa followed them, curiosity filling her as they ventured through the maze of metal corridors. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a single metal door, which Erik wrenched open easily. All of them, including Alisa walked into the room, Erik shutting the door behind them.

Alisa watched as Erik sat down on the chair that rested in the room, clearly making himself comfortable.

"You wanted to talk to us?" Raven inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Correct." Was Erik's curt reply.

"About what?" The blonde woman said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.

Erik chuckled at her coquettish manner. "All in good time Emma."

Meanwhile, Alisa stood in the corner of the room, listening with bated breath.

Charles had also warned her of Emma, and that she was a telepath. Alisa couldn't not only turn physically invisible, but mentally invisible as well, shielding herself from Emma's mind. Therefore she was free to listen to they're conversation.

"Magneto hurry up." Raven snapped irritably, though her tone was still soft as it always was when she was talking to Erik.

"Alright Alright," He relented "I need to go to Switzerland, there I know of a mutant who I think would be very willing to join our cause. He lives in the village of Graubünden."

Astonishment filled Alisa at Erik's confession.

It appeared that Raven and Emma felt the same way as they both had stricken looks on their faces.

"Switzerland?" Raven repeated.

Erik nodded. "Yes, you will be coming with me of course."

Raven snorted at that, knowing that there was no chance she was going to Switzerland.

"When do we leave?" Emma asked, a smile on her face.

Once she'd gotten over her shock she'd decided that Italy was a great idea.

"In two days at the latest." Erik replied practically.

Meanwhile, beside Emma, Raven was bristling.

"I am _not _going to Switzerland." She protested.

Erik turned his gaze on her and immediately she felt all of her diverging feelings start to disappear.

"In order to accomplish our goal, we need to go to Switzerland. There is no other way." He told her.

However, Raven refused to give in, remaining stubborn and showing it by crossing her arms over her chest.

"Please Mystique." Erik said softly.

His words struck Raven. He'd called her Mystique. She'd been trying to get him to call her that for ages, but he hadn't complied; until then. As soon as he said it, both him and Raven knew that she would relent.

"Alright." She murmured.

Erik grinned in triumph, resulting in him receiving a glare from Raven.

"Emma inform Riptide and Azazel of our departure, they will becoming too as we need Azazel to transport us there." He instructed Emma.

"I am right on it sugar." She replied, giving Erik a wink before walking out of the room.

As soon as the door opened, Alisa took that as her opportunity to escape, practically falling over herself to get out of the room.

When she was safely out, she started to wander in an attempt to find the door she'd entered the hideout with. It was crucial that she informed Charles of Erik's plans.

Worry started to grip her as after about half an hour she was still there. She'd searched everywhere and yet she couldn't seem to spot the place where she'd entered.

Eventually, she came to it, sighing in relief when she did.

She walked through the door, the air caressing her face when she stepped outside.

Alisa made herself visible again, thankful to be able to see herself. She then proceeded on back to Charles, hoping that he would know how to process the new piece of information that she gathered.

* * *

Serena was tired.

Her body was drained from the events of the day so she found herself drifting in and out of consciousness every two seconds. It was blissful, being able to escape reality for a few minutes. However, she always spoilt it by waking up and discovering where she was and who she was in the presence of. She longed to be at home in her flat where she was able to read a book and eat chocolate. She was aware that she wasn't likely to get that there, something told her that Erik wasn't much of a reader, nor did he look like he indulged in the guilty pleasure of eating chocolate either. He probably had better things to indulge in, like planning the demise of the human race.

Just as she thought this, the devil himself entered the room, his expression tainted with fierce determination.

"Come to strangle me again?" Serena remarked sarcastically.

Erik chuckled at her bluntness. He couldn't help but find her fascinating despite the fact that she wasn't a mutant.

"Unfortunately not." He replied with a smirk "But I did come to tell you that we're going."

Serena stared blankly at him in response. "Going? Going where?"

"To Switzerland." Erik said, the smirk still aloft on his face.

To Erik's surprise, Serena started to laugh, her chest rising and falling as it was racked with giggles. Panic had filled her abruptly, and the only way Serena felt that she could release it without showing weakness was with mirth.

Erik frowned, considering that Serena's mental health may not have been as composed as it seemed. Erik would have had Emma check this of course, however due to her incompetence Erik was forced to just assume. As Serena continued to laugh, exasperation niggled away at him. He was irked that he didn't seem to be intimidating her, which illustrated lack of power and control. He felt his temper start to flare, and just as he was about to act on it, Serena's giggles subsided.

"So when do we leave?" She questioned, all traces of her previous mirth gone.

"In two days at the latest." Erik said ambiguously.

Serena pursed her lips, a desire to protest filling her, however she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. She assumed that she would be accompanying him, as she was aware that he wasn't stupid enough to leave her behind. She knew that all chances of escape would be terminated if she went away with him, then she would never see the people she loved again, or the life she once lived. Serena barely remembered her old life, as being holed up in a room with nothing but her chaotic emotions did that to her.

"And why are we going?" She inquired bravely after a moment of silence.

Erik raised an eyebrow, always astonished at Serena's nerve. The Human's he'd encountered had always been weak, and though Serena had clearly displayed on many occasions that she did not possess this quality, he still expected it from her despite that he was glad she wasn't weak. Instead she appeared nonchalant, unaffected by everything he threw at her. Once again, Erik found himself inevitably fascinated. He immediately decided that even after he'd got all information out of her, he was still going to keep her around. She probably wasn't the only human who wasn't weak, and despite the admirable quality, Erik needed to know how to deal with them if they proved to be difficult.

" You'll find out." Was Erik's curt reply, before he strode out the room.

* * *

**So that was Chapter 6, I hoped you liked it! please review and tell me what you think! **


	7. Exposed

**Hello I'd just like to say thank you for all the reviews and responses I've had to this story! Its good to know that your enjoying it and keep telling me what you think! **

* * *

"So from what I have seen in your mind, Erik is going to Switzerland."

Charles, Alisa, Fate and Hank sat comfortably in chocolate coloured armchairs, which were situated next to a roaring fire that flickered every so often beside them.

As soon as Alisa had escaped, she'd rushed back to Charles, releasing the mental shield on her mind so that Charles could see all that she'd discovered. Charles had called an meeting immediately after. This resulted in the four of them discussing the matter at hand, sipping scolding hot herbal tea by the fire as they did so.

Alisa couldn't help but feel a little irked towards Charles as the extent of the situation didn't seem to be taking any toll on him at all. Contrasting to her, who's brain was infected with conflicted emotions. Having Erik out of the country was certainly a relief, any mutant apart from Charles would agree with that. However, not having Erik in close proximity made him all the more dangerous; Unpredictable. Alisa didn't like being in the dark, and that precisely what they'd be if they let Erik continue with his plan to go to Switzerland.

"Yes." Alisa replied, quietly.

Charles nodded in response, his hand stroking his chin which indicated that he was deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, Alisa's incompetence to hold her tongue became to much for her.

"Well?" She demanded "What are we going to do?"

Blank faces greeted her at her inquiry. Anger threatened to boil inside of her, why didn't they understand?

"What is there to do?" Fate said, a trace of misery in her tone "We'll just have to wait until he returns."

Astonishment filled Alisa at the other girls words. She didn't believe everyone's calm demeanour, not one bit. Alisa concluded that they were all going as mad about the matter as she was, but all of them were just very adept at hiding it.

"Wait, like sitting ducks? Seriously?" She exclaimed in outrage.

Immediately Alisa disliked the stares they gave her. Fate stared at her in an resigned nonchalant way, while Charles and Beast scrutinized her warily, as she were an animal that needed to be tamed.

"The only possible way I can think of is getting someone to go with them. But its just the question of who would go." Charles murmured, although it was audible enough for the other 3 mutants in the room to pick up.

In the spur of the moment, Alisa opened her mouth to volunteer, and just as she was about to say the words, a voice sounded in her head.

_Alisa no, _Charles's voice echoed in her head, _you can__'__t go. _

_Why not? ,_Alisa demanded in her head, _you were perfectly prepared to let me go into his hideout._

_That was an entirely different matter, that was not in a different country. What if you get hurt or need to escape and cant get back?, _Charles inquired adamantly.

"I can take care of myself!" Alisa exclaimed angrily in reply, her expression turning weary when she realised she'd said her reply out loud. But she just couldn't help herself, she didn't understand why Charles was treating her like a child.

During the mental conversation between Alisa and Charles, Fate and Hank had exchanged knowing looks, recognising when Charles was invading the intricacies of someone's mind. Personally, Fate was reluctant to let Erik go, but she didn't see any other option. However, if there was one, Fate was almost certain she would take it as it would then lift the intense worry for of how Serena was coping with Erik's presence from her mind. Undoubtedly, Erik would fall for Serena, but that didn't mean that he would do so willingly. It was anticipated that Erik was certain put up a good fight, having a tendency to be belligerent and cruel when in this state.

"I am fully aware of that but obviously you aren't considering the risks, do you have no concern for your own life?" Charles said, his tone condescending.

Hank rubbed a furry hand against his head, feeling the beginnings of a migraine beginning to form. Upon seeing his hand he scowled at it. Despite the fact that it had been a year, Hank still wasn't used to the fur that covered his entire body, his nostalgia for his old appearance growing with every second. He'd spent hours trying to find a new cure, but after weeks of searching he gave up out of sheer exhaustion. However, his insecurities was still a dominant factor in his mind, and adding Erik to it wasn't helping matters either.

"Of course I do, but now that I have seen Serena I am determined to help keep her safe from Erik" Alisa snapped.

"I believe you've helped enough, plus I've thought about it and I believe that Serena is safe in Erik's care, he is supposed to love her after all." Charles said softly, however his voice bore a sense of finality, making it known that the subject was now dropped.

Alisa scoffed at that as she sat back in her armchair, scowling at the floor, her arms crossed over her chest. Honestly, she found it extremely hard to accept that Erik could ever fall in love full stop, never mind with a human. She felt obligated to help Serena, even though she wasn't a mutant. Alisa possessed a soft spot for humans as she had been adopted by one when she was a child. Her adoptive mother had died 2 years ago and that's a year ago Charles found her, striving to survive on her own. Alisa knew that she wouldn't go against Charles's wishes, after everything he'd done for her. However she was determined to make it known that she wasn't happy about it.

"So we wait until Erik returns?" Fate questioned.

Charles nodded. "I don't see any other option. So yes, we wait."

Alisa's scowl deepened. "Lets just hope that he hasn't killed her before then."

Charles shook his head disapprovingly, trying to suppress the part of him that was aware that there might've been some truth to Alisa's words. Despite their different views, Charles still held the friendship that they'd previously possessed, and because of this he knew that in anger Erik was prone to doing things he would regret later on.

* * *

Serena tapped the wall in a feeble attempt to satisfy her boredom. It had been a day since Erik had barged in and announced that they were going to Switzerland. In that time Serena had discovered a bathroom in the little room that she was confined in, by accidentally banging her fist on the wall in frustration. She had assumed that she was meant to find it, as it was so easy to get to, and in there she had showered and put on the spare change of clothes that had rested in the bathroom beside the shower. Ever since then Serena ate the food that was given to her and tired to think of what she'd do the moment she was free from these mutants. All of a sudden, her musings were interrupted when she looked up to find Erik, Emma, Azazel, a man wearing a suit, and the blue mutant who's name she thought was Raven, standing in front of her. Serena jumped in astonishment, scowling at them all for entering so abruptly.

"Come on Serena." Raven said softly, extending her hand out to the woman.

Serena didn't hesitate in taking her hand, out of all the mutants, she appeared to be the kindest. When Raven looked at her it wasn't with malevolent disdain like the others, it was more like morbid curiosity, a fact that Serena took comfort in.

As Serena took Raven's hand her heart thumped in anticipation, wondering if teleporting this time would be different since they were going to another country. She was met with disappointment, however, as the sensation was like it had always been.

One minute they were in the small, confined room, the next they were in Graubünden, Switzerland. Despite her travel expectations, Serena wasn't prepared for the scenery that greeted her when they arrived there.

The sky was a cathartic blue, contrasting to the dull grey sky's that she was used to. Snow topped mountains encased them in a valley that dipped dangerously, holding new things to be discovered. Below them, wild flowers were dotted inadequately across the grass, making them all the more noticeable. The few houses that rested in the distance were small and cosy except for one, which stood out among the cluster of accommodations. This house was a great deal bigger than the rest, and could almost resemble a mansion but not quite as it wasn't big enough. The balcony that stretched around it was welcoming and homely , and Serena suddenly found herself filled with childish excitement at the thought of going inside.

"Its Beautiful." Raven gasped beside her.

Serena glanced at her while nodding. "It sure is."

While Serena and Raven had been speculating the view, the other's had started to walk ahead, unfazed by the beautiful scene. Erik threw an irritated glance at them which they knew was there queue to start walking or be left. It wasn't long before had reached the house, chosen rooms and had settled themselves in. Erik insisted that Emma and Serena share a room, so that someone could keep an eye on her, however Raven cut in.

"I'll share a room with her." She said ignoring the grateful look that Serena shot in her direction.

Erik raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"

"Of course." was Raven's confident reply.

After that Serena and Raven settled into their room, for the most part, not talking.

In the spur of the moment, Serena decided to break the silence.

"Thank you for offering to share a room with me." She said quietly.

Raven turned to her, that look of curiosity residing on her face.

"Its alright, I wouldn't have wanted to share with Emma either." She smiled.

"Yeh Emma, she sure does bring the party." Serena said derisively, smiling in return.

Raven laughed at that, Serena joining in shortly after.

"You know, your not so bad." Raven said after a pause.

Serena raised an eyebrow, flattered but taken aback at the same time.

" Oh? How was I expected to be?" She inquired, grinning.

Raven shrugged, the casual act somehow looking wrong but normal at the same time on her.

"I don't know just not like you are now. I guess I thought you'd be more hostile and bitter. I thought you'd look at us with fear in your eyes. But here you are making jokes." Raven said the curiosity now present in her tone as well as her face.

"I am guessing that's how most of us humans treat you then?" Serena asked and Raven responded with a nod.

"Yes, I hate it. It makes me think there's something wrong with me, even though I know there isn't. That's why I went with Magneto, because when I am with him he makes me feel proud to be a mutant." Raven confessed, her voice lighting up when she mentioned Magneto, who Serena assumed was Erik.

Serena wished she could see this side of Erik, the side that inspired people instead of terrified them. For some reason, she was glad to know that Erik wasn't all bad. He undoubtedly had his flaws but in the end he was just like everyone else, perfectly capable of harbouring feelings.

"Well now I am starting to understand why you hate us, but Erik seems to have this hatred that's more amplified than yours." Serena replied.

Raven smiled sadly. "Yes but he had a tough childhood. I know that's no excuse but still, its part of the reason. I also know that he believes in being yourself, which wouldn't be a problem if that didn't just apply to mutants."

"I guess, I don't know I cant help but pity him. I try not to after everything he's done to me but I do. Because when I look into his eyes, all I see is the ghost of a man who is trying not to feel, who is fighting against the very thing that makes us human." Serena said softly.

"But he isn't human."

Serena shrugged. "Mutants have feelings too right? Plus I'd say that Mutants are just humans that are different. Different but equal."

Raven grinned at that. "Different but equal, I like that."

Outside the door, Erik listened intently, but the two women had finished talking about him. He walked away from the door, his head littered with Serena's words.

'_When I look into his eyes, all I see is the ghost of a man who is trying not to feel__'_

At first he felt anger, hot boiling anger. But as he thought about it he realised that Serena may have been right. Her perception of him was perplexing, and he couldn't figure out why she could remain so positive after everything she'd been through. Furthermore, he couldn't help but involuntarily feel relieved that she didn't hate him. However, she did pity him; Erik wasn't sure which one was worse.

He despised being pitied, especially by a human, however he didn't seem to mind that much. He hoped that this was because he wasn't feeling entirely himself, and not because it was specifically Serena who held this pity towards him. Erik shook his head, forcing the thoughts out of his mind.

Serena was a mystery, one that he couldn't seem to solve.

Right then and there Erik decided that he would figure Serena out, he would untangle the intricacies of her personality, whatever the costs.

In that moment, Erik smiled, his spirits lifted at this new challenge.


	8. Conversations

**Hi I am so sorry for not posting for so long! anyway I think you'll like this chapter, or at least I hope you like it! Sorry again for the long wait and I'll try to shorten it next time! **

* * *

Erik sat back against the chair that rested in front of a large wooden desk.

He was currently in an office type room, contemplating his next move. To his outrage, Serena's words kept replaying itself involuntarily in his mind. He'd put on his helmet to shelter his thoughts from Emma, who would undoubtedly be invading the intricacies of his mind had he not done so. Erik wished that the helmet could protect him from his own thoughts as well, so that he wouldn't have to endure the endless torture of hearing Serena's perceptive words.

All of a sudden, Raven entered the room, one eyebrow raised questionably at his choice of wardrobe. She came to a stop in front of the desk, hands perched haughtily on her hips.

"You wanted me?" She snapped, though Erik detected fatigue in her tone.

"Yes." Erik replied curtly as he gestured to the chair that was tucked out of view under the desk, "Sit."

Raven immediately disliked his commanding tone, however she chose to comply as she was too tired to express her diverging opinion at that moment. Silence followed her actions as she waited for him to speak, her mind running over the days events. After Raven and Serena's perceptive talk the conversation had become lighter, featuring more general matters. Raven found that she had a lot in common with Serena, a fact that would have surprised her long ago, but didn't surprise her then. Furthermore, she enjoyed talking to her. She proved to be much more intellectual than Emma, which made their conversations much more interesting. Emma wasn't intellectual; she was cunning. A trait that was both an asset and a flaw at times. During their talk, Raven had lost track of time and it was only when Serena fell a sleep in the middle of the conversation that she realised the sky had reverted to a never-ending ebony as the outside world retired for the night. Just as Raven was about to join them, Erik had summoned her, which was why she was stationed in his presence.

"I heard you." He said, his tone laced with accusation.

For a few seconds, Raven just stared blankly at him, then comprehension dawned. Fear crept up her spine, wondering what Erik was capable of. They were very good friends, and Raven was almost certain that Erik trusted her. However, that didn't stop him from lashing out when in anger whenever he was provoked into doing so. Erik was incorrigible and Raven highly doubted that overhearing their conversation would've altered that fact.

"Oh." Was all that she said in reply.

This curt answer seemed to fuel Erik's outrage as the metal ring that rested on the desk began to shake. Raven glanced at the ring warily while trying to anticipate Erik's next move.

"I would prefer it, if you and Serena didn't talk about me when I am not aware of it. If you have something to say, please say it directly to me." Erik hissed, his tone dangerously low.

Raven rolled her eyes in exasperation, suddenly growing tired of Erik's volatile moods. She couldn't decipher why he was so concerned, as what was said about him had been far from negative. Furthermore, she was aware that the conversation would have been more applicable if directed at Serena, as she was the one that said anything that could have remotely invoked a reaction within Erik.

"Magneto get a grip, we didn't even say anything bad about you, plus Serena was only-"

"Raven." Erik cut in sharply "Just don't do it again, Is that clear?"

"What happened to Mystique?" Raven murmured in response.

"Raven." Erik replied in a warning tone, clearly indicating his seriousness.

Raven sighed. "Alright it won't happen again."

_At least not when you__'__re around_, She added in her head, then mentally cursing herself when she realised that Emma could have heard it. However, Raven was almost certain that Emma didn't here it, as she didn't feel the dominant presence in her mind like she normally did when a telepath invaded it.

"Good. Now I would like to talk to you about our plans." Erik said, an sly smile settling on his lips.

Raven folded her arms in anticipation, indicating for him to continue.

"Remember the blueprint I had of Cerebro? Well I plan on stealing Cerebro and using the parts to build a new machine that is crucial if I am to eradicate the humans. The mutant that we have come to find here has the knowledge of how to build such a machine, as he invented it." Erik explained.

Raven nodded, processing the new information. "And what exactly does this machine do?"

"The machine acts as a weapon and will be made of adamantium so that it will be impossible to destroy. It will send out a type of radiation that is only hazardous to humans which triggers a mutation to form in their minds, not our type of mutation though. It will be more like a cancerous mutation. This mutation will turn into a virus which will remain dormant until it can be activated. When activated, the victim is killed instantly, and that is when we shall have our victory." Was Erik's spontaneous reply.

Raven raised her eyebrows, impressed by the efficiency of the plan, however doubt started to creep to the surface. Was this what she really wanted? To eradicate an entire race? Raven was aware of how cruel humans could be, but she had also been exposed to the good ones via Serena, the ones that possessed morals and weren't afraid of things that were different. What if some humans agreed with Serena, that mutants were 'different but equal'? As these doubts fluttered through her mind, the pain of forever being an outcast struck her abruptly.

She thought of the multiple times she had to hide her true form for fear of humans not accepting her. She thought of how no matter how hard she tried, she would never be deemed beautiful, would never be accepted. She thought of how before Erik, she hated who she was. It was at that moment that Raven decided she didn't want to lose that, and the only way she saw to do this was to follow through with Erik's plan. She didn't like it but it had to be done. Even if some humans were like Serena they would be suppressed by the humans that hated mutants as much as Erik despised humans.

Raven decided that she would follow through with Erik's plan then as ultimately there was nothing she could do or say to stop it, however she would ask Erik if he could spare Serena, as it was what she deserved after all.

"How will the virus be activated?" She asked.

"By another wave of radiation that will be emitted shortly after the virus is formed." Was Erik's practical reply.

"Alright then, when do we meet this mutant?"

"Tomorrow, so make sure you look presentable." Erik replied with a wink.

Raven grinned, liking this side of him.

"You know I always do." She joked before rising from her chair departing from the room.

Erik chuckled as he watched her go, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders by telling her. In his opinion, his plan was immaculate. It had no flaws and was almost guaranteed to work. The only bad thing was that the moment the plan had escaped his mouth, Serena's words grew louder in his head. Not only was this alarming but it made Erik almost think twice about the plan, and made him contemplate whether it was the right thing to do. However, it was only _almost_. He didn't actually think twice, and as he left the room to retire for the night, he hoped that he would never have to _almost _think twice again.

* * *

Serena woke up to daylight. Incandescent, blinding daylight that hurt her eyes as she slowly opened them, stretching her arms out while she yawned. Her dream had been vivid, very vivid and she was very glad that it was just a dream. It had featured none other that Erik and in the dream he was completely opposite to his actual character. She was glad it was a dream because she just couldn't imagine Erik like that. She knew he was capable of being nice but being extremely nice all the time like he was in her dream just wasn't right. Erik's bad temper and moods were a part of what made him Erik after all.

Serena glanced over at Raven to find that she was still fast asleep. Serena sighed at this, wondering how she was going to occupy her morning if the one person she liked to talk to was asleep. In the end, Serena decided to wash, get dressed and have some breakfast as her stomach persisted in grumbling every 5 minutes. It took her 5 minutes to locate the bathroom, and after she'd showered and got dressed she headed downstairs in search of something to eat.

The kitchen that greeted her was grand and spacious, shining cathartically. Serena wasn't surprised as she'd figured that Erik would only tolerate the best standard of living. As she walked up to the breadbin, she glanced out the window, stopping short when she spotted Erik sitting calmly outside. He looked inadequate amongst the almost paradise-like setting, and his relaxed posture was far from the belligerent one he normally carried. As Serena made some toast she fount herself wanting to join him. In the spur of the moment, she grabbed the toast and departed from the house, walking in Erik's direction.

He didn't look up when she came to stand beside him, merely continuing to stare at the flowers that grew beneath him.

Serena cleared her throat, questioning her decision to put herself willingly in his presence.

"Hungry?" she asked, while mentally cursing herself for asking such a question.

Erik looked up at her, his gaze wary. Her concern for his welfare was making him uncomfortable, especially as it was coming from a human. Furthermore, he couldn't understand why Serena was with him, why she would willingly be alone with him. Surely she was smarter than that.

"Starving." He replied.

Serena smiled, causing a small but prominent knot start to form in Erik's stomach.

She settled herself beside him, unravelling the still hot freshly made toast from the tissue she'd wrapped it in.

Erik took a slice, refraining from moaning as he took a bite. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he'd actually taken a bite. Suddenly, he felt grateful towards Serena for this small gesture. A feeling he tried to suppress as he knew that he shouldn't possess gratitude towards humans.

He was aware that he was inclined to thank her, but he was unable to form the exact words in his mouth. Serena watched him, waiting for his response.

Erik cleared his throat.

"So what brought this on?" He inquired, gesturing to the food.

Serena averted her gaze to the floor evasively. She wasn't entirely sure what had fuelled her actions. Erik held her captive, her freedom snatched away from the moment he took her. Like she'd discussed with Raven, her malicious feelings towards him had faded, instead being replaced with a deep understanding. Despite this she knew she should've feared him, or at least have had the prudence to stay away from him. However, she didn't possesses any of these feelings, deeming the caution unnecessary.

"I don't know." She finally replied simply, with a shrug of her shoulders.

There was silence for a moment as they both contemplated their predicament.

Erik snuck a glance at Serena, surprised by the smile of contentment that rested on her features.

"What's wrong with you?" He demanded suddenly.

Serena jumped at the sharpness of his tone, wondering what could've changed his mood.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked, her tone exasperated.

Erik rose abruptly, starting to pace frantically across the grass. Serena watched him in awe.

"I don't understand." He muttered before whirling on Serena with fierce eyes. "Why aren't you scared of me?."

Serena blinked, taken aback at the question. Worry gripped her at the fact that Raven could've told him about their conversation.

"Who says that I am not scared of you?."

"Don't lie to me." He snarled "I can see it in your eyes."

"Why does it matter, do you want to be feared?" Serena spat back with contempt.

Erik was shocked into silence, the venom of her words piecing him like a knife.

"I-" He searched for the right words and found that none were applicable.

Sinking back down to the grass, Erik ran a hand through his light brown hair in frustration. For the third time that day, Serena watched him, scrutinizing every detail.

"Well do you?" She pressed, causing Erik to scowl.

"Fear gives you power." He replied adamantly.

"And power is all that matters to you?" Was Serena's bitter reply.

Erik responded with silence.

"Why do you hate humans?" The question involuntarily flowed from Serena's lips.

Erik wasn't shocked this time, having become accustomed to the boldness that Serena possessed.

"They're weak and fear the unknown. They fear things they don't understand and this fear leads them to violence. They think themselves superior, when all they are is feeble minded creatures." Erik spat.

Serena took her time to respond. A part of her felt satisfied because she'd gotten Erik to open up to her, as if that had been her mission all along. Suddenly she felt close to him, a connection. One that Serena wouldn't have dared acknowledge out loud.

"In some ways you're right. But in others you're wrong. You say we think we're superior but isn't that exactly what you think? This will never end you know, if we keep thinking like this, that one is better than the other. We will only find peace if we learn to accept that we're equal Erik." Serena said softly.

Erik felt a jolt when Serena said his name, her words to Raven suddenly springing to his mind.

"Different but equal?" He repeated with a small smile.

Serena's eyes widened in realisation. "Where did you-?"

Serena's words were cut off as she suddenly cried out in alarm. In the spur of the moment, she pushed herself in front of Erik before being greeted with a blast of green energy hitting her directly in the stomach. Serena dropped to the ground unconscious as a result.

"Serena!" Erik cried out, bending down quickly to examine her.

As he balanced her head on his lap he was reminded of a year ago when he was in the same position with Charles.

Erik's head snapped up to find the source of the green light, his expression livid.

A tanned man with shoulder-length black hair swept back across his face, light green eyes and hints of facial hair around his mouth stared back at him, his hands glowing with the green energy.

"Erik." He said, with a deep voice.

"Damian." Erik replied, his eyes narrowing.

It was at that moment that Erik, for a second, considered that all of Serena's proclamations about mutants may've been true.


	9. Confused

**Hello I am so sorry that I haven't updated in ages! Anyway heres the next chapter I hope you like it! **

* * *

Erik walked slowly back towards the house, Damian beside him. In his arms, Erik held an unconscious Serena, who's shallow breaths Erik occasionally felt against him. Erik was aware that carrying her wasn't necessary, he could've used his power to transport her. Furthermore, carrying her made him seem like he possessed sympathy towards humans, suggesting that he'd grown weak. Erik knew he was right in his assumptions by the way that Damian glanced suspiciously at him from time to time.

Despite this fact, however, Erik didn't care. He wanted to carry Serena. It was the least he could do after she'd bravely threw herself in front of him. Erik knew that the blast wouldn't have harmed him that much, but this didn't stop the flattery that was embedded into him as a result of her actions. He was perplexed by the fact that after the way he'd treated her she still saved him. Erik knew that he'd continued to be surprised by the level of compassion that these humans possessed. A passion that was clearly a weakness, as it lead to them being harmed physically or mentally. This was why Erik decided not to posses it, however he was unable to suppress the compassion that started to grow within him from the moment Serena had thrown herself in front of him.

"Who's the human?" Damian questioned curtly, casting a distasteful glance at Serena.

Erik hesitated before replying. "I captured her to gain information from the CIA, I've brought her with me because I haven't gathered all the information I require from her yet."

Damian nodded in approval, all the accusation gone from his features.

"I see." Was his ambiguous reply.

Erik was surprised by the rage that filled him at that moment, unsure of what had caused it.

His emotions were chaos inside his mind, which was unfamiliar to him as he was only used to them being focused on two emotions; Pain and Rage. Erik knew that this reaction from him was far from normal, although he was aware that normal had disappeared the moment Serena had thrown herself in front of him.

As they approached the house, Emma wandered outside to see what all the commotion was about. In truth, she had been speculating Erik and Serena from the deserted corners of both their minds. Emma was surprised that Erik hadn't registered her presence during his and Serena's conversation, but then realised that he was too engaged in Serena to notice her. It was at that moment that Emma entered Erik's mind again, astonished at the intense feelings that dwelled within him.

_Get out of my head before I kill you_, Erik's malicious tone corrupted his mind, pushing away all other thoughts that he'd had in that moment.

Emma flinched, his icy tone alarming to her. At once she started to recede from his mind, sensing that he wasn't in a good place.

Erik pushed past her roughly with an unconscious Serena in his arms with a tanned, black- haired man with light green eyes at his heels. Emma raised her eyebrows coquettishly, only just noticing the handsome mutant. The man smiled back at Emma, a glint in his eye. Undoubtedly she had captured his attention, especially with the alluring outfit that she was wearing at that moment.

"Hello, I am Damian." He said with a chilling deep voice as he grasped her hand and kissed it.

Emma flushed in response, inwardly scolding herself for breaking her cool demeanour. Already she started to form a plan to change her voluntary response to him.

"Hello Damian, I am Emma." She smiled flirtatiously, transforming her face into something that made all men, apart from Erik, bend to her will.

Just as she anticipated Damian looked dreamily at her before his expression changed abruptly to a mixture of wariness and amusement.

"Nice trick telepath." He smirked, tapping his head knowingly.

While Emma had been talking to him, she'd been searching his mind, attaining necessary knowledge about him. Despite some difficulties, she'd been doing pretty well, certain that her invasion wouldn't be detected as he was too focused on her; however she'd been wrong. All of a sudden, Emma was wary. Only a very powerful mutant could do what he did.

_Surprised?_, Damian's deep voice sounded in her head. Emma had to refrain from jumping in astonishment. The fact that he had hidden his identical mutation from Emma was enough to make her blood boil in anger.

_Along with my telepathy I have the power to shield myself mentally from other telepaths. I can also shield some of my own thoughts which is why you had difficulty reading my thoughts just now, _Damian explained mockingly, as if talking to a child.

Emma narrowed her eyes, using her diamond mutation to cause him pain. Damian cried out, clutching his head in the minute that the pain came and went.

"Your feisty aren't you?" He laughed, receiving a death glare from Emma.

She immediately decided that she disliked him, vowing to avoid his presence at all times.

"It's a gift." She snapped before following Erik into the house.

Damian smirked, already enjoying his time with the mutants that were to help him bring destroy the human race_. _Damian frowned as he remembered the way Erik cradled the human in his arms like a baby. He hoped that Erik hadn't somehow become attached to humans. As Damian considered the thought he deemed it impossible. Erik hated humans as much as he did and that was far from likely to change.

Just as Erik walked through the door, Raven strode into the room, halting abruptly when she spotted Erik holding an unconscious Serena in his arms.

"What happened?" She exclaimed, glaring at Erik with accusing eyes.

Erik glared back, feeling anger creep on him as a result of the accusation. The action made him contemplate just how volatile he was when it came to humans.

"Damian happened." Erik grunted in reply before pushing past her to carry Serena up to the room they shared.

Raven shot him a puzzled look before she spotted a man she didn't recognise, who sauntered into the room behind Emma with a smirk on his face.

"Hello." He grinned at Raven.

Immediately, wariness kicked in as Raven shot him a look of contempt and followed Erik.

Damian smiled to himself, satisfied with his competence to be able to clear the room without indulging in destructive behaviour. Pleased with his provocative actions, Damian discovered the living room and settled himself on the cream sofa that was situated opposite the TV.

* * *

"Is that the mutant we have come here to find?" Raven demanded angrily as she stormed into the room. She stopped when she saw that Erik was occupied with the job of setting Serena down on one of the beds, his actions gentle as he performed them. This caused her to raise her eyebrows suggestively before returning her expression to a angry one when Erik looked her way.

"Yes it is." He said adamantly.

Raven put her hands on her hips. "He's an asshole."

Erik chuckled sarcastically. "You think?"

Raven glared in response as she sat herself on the bed that was closest to her.

"So what happened?" She asked him, gesturing to Serena.

Erik hesitated, contemplating on whether it would be prudent to lie or not. He didn't want Raven to think that there was something transpiring between him and Serena, as he was aware that would be the immediate conclusion that the blue-skinned mutant would make. However, despite everything, she was his friend. Raven was probably the only person he came even remotely close to trusting.

"Damian blasted me to get my attention but Serena, thinking that it would harm me, threw herself in front of me and got herself knocked unconscious in the process." Erik explained, while making his tone devoid of any emotion that could indicate more than distaste towards Serena.

"She saved you?" Raven asked incredulously.

Erik glared at her in response. "Not particularly as the blast wouldn't have killed me."

Raven met his glare with one of her own. "You know what I meant."

Erik looked down, suddenly becoming uncomfortable with the conversation. Raven scrutinized him, watching as conflicted emotions flitted across his face. She could tell there was more to it than he let on. She knew that it wasn't just Serena's actions that bothered him, it was the motive behind them. Immediately, Raven began to think about what Serena's motive was as she too was unsure what could've compelled her to do such a thing.

Suddenly, it hit her. Raven remembered the conversation that she'd overheard when spying on Charles and his young mutants. Back then Raven had deemed it impossible, not even worth contemplating. However, maybe it was time she started to consider it. Because even though they were minuscule Raven saw signs of something that could blossom into something even bigger when nurtured.

Before she thought that something like this would be bad for Erik. But thinking about it she decided otherwise, noting that this could perhaps make him stronger and more grounded than he was at the moment.

All of a sudden, Serena stirred, letting out a low moan. Raven watched Erik's head involuntarily snap in her direction and saw that he leaned slightly closer to her.

If Erik had tried to conceal the unusual feelings he was experiencing before, his cool demeanour had certainly slipped, making his feelings clearly visible.

Serena's eyes flicked open as she jumped slightly at Erik's face being the first one that she saw when she woke up.

"Erik?" She asked confusedly.

Suddenly, Raven felt as if she had stumbled in on a private moment, witnessing something she shouldn't have.

"I'll go and check on Damian and Emma. They're probably at each others throats." Raven said quickly before hurrying out of the room.

A part of Erik felt glad that she was gone and then another wasn't because he still had more to say to her. Erik could feel Serena's gaze on him even after he'd looked up to witness Raven's departure. Serena had sat up now, so that their faces were in close proximity. Closer than Erik would've liked.

"What-" Serena started to ask but then frowned as she remembered what happened.

"I-"

"Why did you do that?" Erik demanded harshly before she could finish her sentence.

Serena's eyes widened as she tried to provide an explanation for her actions. But she couldn't find one. She'd acted on mere instinct. Thinking about it then she knew that her actions were futile. Erik was an all-powerful mutant who didn't need a feeble human to save him.

"I wish I knew." Serena replied back, her tone soft but firm.

Erik eyed her with caution, suddenly convinced that she must've been a mutant in disguise. How else would she be able to awaken feelings within him that he didn't know he possessed?

Serena's mind was whirling as well, trying to uncover the truth of her actions. She remembered feeling that she needed to protect him, that she didn't want him to even get slightly hurt and would do anything to prevent it. The feelings had vanished as soon as they'd appeared. However, she had felt them.

"I should take you back." Erik mumbled angrily, almost as if he was talking to himself.

Serena didn't reply as she wasn't sure if the statement was addressed to her or not.

"Do it then." She finally said, directing her gaze to the floor.

"But-" Erik paused, taking a breath before he spoke again. "I don't want to."

His confession sent shock waves through Serena's body, causing her to involuntarily look up at him. By the look of sheer astonishment on his face, it seemed that Erik was surprised at his own actions, not quite sure what came over him.

The thing that concerned Serena the most was that she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to go back. To go back to that dull, boring life that was internship at the CIA. She had no friends there, whereas there she'd just started to connect with Raven in ways she'd never anticipated.

And then there was Erik. Serena wasn't sure what she felt for him, just as Erik equally wasn't sure what he felt for her. However, Serena knew that she wanted to stay with him and figure it out. She had always been very curious. Although she wasn't sure that it was curiosity that was driving her to stay with Erik.

"And why is that?" She questioned, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating.

"I wish I knew." Erik repeated Serena's words almost sadly before his expression turned hard.

He raised himself from where he kneeled beside her, widening the distance between them.

"We have a visitor so I suggest for your own safety you stay in this room, Raven will bring you up food and drink." He said adamantly before going to walk out of the room.

"Since when does my safety matter to you?" She asked him.

She'd meant it to be provocative, and it had as it made Erik stop in his tracks.

"Since my own safety mattered to you." He replied, before departing from the room.

Serena flopped back against the bed, contemplating all that had transpired between them. She was in a predicament, however she wasn't unhappy with the situation she was in.

She wanted to explore and she knew that being away from Erik wouldn't help her to do that.

Walking away from Serena, Erik grew angry at himself for ever interacting with her in the first place. He knew that he should've steered clear from her in the first place, because she was human. However, somehow she'd drawn him in, and now Erik was trapped with no way out. He was certain that his new feelings, whatever they were, didn't extend to all humans. Serena was an exception. A rare exception.

Erik was determined that he would still go through with his plan despite his primitive feelings.

All of a sudden, Raven appeared, her expression turning worried as she saw Erik.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Erik ran a hand through his tousled hair.

"Never better." Was his curt reply.

As he walked away from her, he tried to convince himself that this was true.


	10. Complications

**Okay so I am so proud of myself for writing this chapter in such a short time! Anyway I think you guys will like this chapter and it answers some of the questions you've been asking me ;) enjoy!**

* * *

Erik, Raven, Emma and Damian glanced at each other with wary eyes. By instinct, all of them were suspicious of Damian, and in return he wasn't one hundred percent trustful of them either. They were currently sat in the living room of the large house, each of them settled in there own armchair.

Raven was sprawled out comfortably in hers, while contemplating when exactly she'd be able to escape so that she could talk to Serena.

Emma was stiff where she sat. Her chair was situated the closest to Damian's, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Erik's chair was in a position that allowed him to see all of them clearly, particularly Damian. Damian had always exasperated Erik. However, Damian's accidental attack on Serena had heightened this exasperation into full blown dislike, which was why Erik stared at Damian with more malice than was necessary.

"So, when are we going to build this machine?" Damian's voice cut through the thick tension in the air, his light-hearted tone the equivalent to poison in Erik's opinion.

"How about, how are we going to build this machine?" Raven remarked quickly, as she'd spotted Erik's jaw tense in anger, indicating that his actions in the moments that followed would be far from attentive. Erik scowled at Raven for her clear interruption, instead directing his animosity toward her.

Damian chuckled at Raven's incompetence, his gaze intentionally patronizing.

"We're mutants." He grinned "We can do anything."

"Yes except for not acting like a complete asshole." Raven muttered to herself, causing Emma to smile as she had heard it repeated in Raven's mind,

_I heard that_, Damian's prideful voice echoed in Raven's head all of a sudden, causing her to jump involuntarily. She stared at him in shock, to which he responded with a wink.

"Are we going to discuss this Damian or are you too occupied with flirting with Raven?" Erik snapped at Damian.

Damian's head snapped around to look at Erik before, both Emma and Raven noted with satisfaction, bowing his head in defeat.

"Now some of the materials we need for the machine are here in Switzerland. Once we find them we can return to the hideout where we can start building the machine." Erik explained practically.

"Who will be going to retrieve the materials?" Emma asked sweetly.

Erik refrained from scowling at her, irked by the question. His emotions were already chaotic due to interacting with Serena.

"Myself, Damian and Azazel will go to retrieve the materials, the rest of you will stay here." Was Erik's curt reply.

Raven scoffed at that, glaring at Erik. She strongly opposed the idea of leaving the females behind and letting the men take over.

"But you may need a telepath-" Emma protested weakly, her speech cutting of at the end as she remembered Damian's abilities.

He gave her a smirk and she glared icily in response, turning her head away from him.

"We already have one." Damian said, his tone condescending "However, I doubt that we'll be in need of a telepath on this journey."

"Magneto-" Raven started to say, but her words halted as Erik held up a firm hand.

"Raven You're staying here and that's final. You too Emma. We need to get the job done and it will be quicker to do so without the two of you"

Raven was surprised at the hurt that started to stir within her at his words. Erik wasn't normally cruel. However, he did tend to be slightly more agitated when he was in a bad mood. Raven wondered who could've been the source of his negative emotion and identified them seconds afterwards. This fact encouraged Raven to want to find out what had transpired between a certain mutant and a certain human. She was aware that something had happened as she could practically feel the electricity in the air formed by the intensity of their emotions.

"Alright." Raven said, her tone brighter at the prospect of gaining information from Serena later.

Erik rose steadily to his feet, his face strained with the intricacies of his emotions.

Without a word to anyone, he climbed the stairs to one of the rooms, searching for a rest before he went and dug up some materials to build the machine. His mind was still plagued with thoughts of Serena, which only increased his resentment toward himself and her. He was adamant in distracting himself from these thoughts by retrieving these materials, desperately hoping that the task would suppress these thoughts altogether.

Meanwhile, Raven had excused herself from the living room and had made her way to the kitchen as she contemplated what dish to prepare for Serena. Raven eventually decided on a cheese sandwich because it was simple and was the only thing she was decent at preparing. Within 10 minutes, she held a tray with a cheese sandwich and an orange juice at the side in her hand as she carried it up to Serena.

Raven pushed open the room to find Serena sprawled across the bed staring vacantly at the ceiling. Her expression mirrored Erik's, torn and showing a spiral of emotions. Raven sighed as she set the tray down on the table next to Serena's bed.

Serena sat up slowly, muttering a thank you as she captured the tray in her hands. She ate eagerly, which explained her uncommon silence. After she'd eaten, Serena set the tray down next to her, her expression slightly more relaxed than it was before.

"You were hungry." She remarked.

Serena smiled, nodding in agreement. "Starving."

Raven smiled in return, dreading the fact that in the moments that followed she'd wipe the smile straight off Serena's features.

"So how are you feeling?" Raven inquired.

Serena responded with a nonchalant shrug. The pain in her head had subsided, however her emotions were still prominent.

"Alright." She replied.

Raven gave her a knowing look which caused wariness to creep up on Serena.

"What?" Serena questioned.

Raven shook her head slightly, wondering howe exactly she was going to voice her thoughts to Serena.

"What's going on?" Raven finally asked.

Serena immediately knew what Raven was talking about, which was why she decided to feign ignorance. "I don't know what you mean?" Serena replied innocently.

Raven scowled at her. "Don't play innocent Serena, what's going on between you and Erik?"

Serena was shocked at her bluntness, however she should've been used to it due to the many occasions where Erik had been blunt towards her. She wondered if it was a mutant thing. The thing that caught Serena the most was the fact that she honestly didn't know the answer to Raven's question.

"I honestly don't know." She replied sincerely "There's something there but I-I don't know what it is."

Raven nodded, Serena confirming her suspicions. Ever since Serena had came along Raven had noted a distinct change in Erik. He was, nicer. Not enough so that it was prominent but enough for someone who knew him well like Raven did.

She wished that she could give Serena advice on how to handle it, but in truth she was just as perplexed as Serena was.

"I suspected as much." Raven replied "I've seen it, between the two of you. I must tell you that its really weird, I've never seen him like this before."

Serena contemplated Raven's words, taking them in. She wasn't entirely aware of the effect she had on Erik, only the effect that she had on him. Suddenly she wished she was a mutant so that she could read Erik's mind and know what he was thinking.

"Really?" Serena said surprised "Well I don't know why me. I am human. Everything he despises in this world."

Raven considered this. "Yes but your not like other humans. I mean, your not scared of him or intimidated. You stand your ground. Plus Emma is unable to read your mind."

Serena flushed at the almost compliment. "Yes but I don't know why that is. I assure you that as far as I know I am 100 percent human."

Raven smiled. "Well I think Erik is a predicament then, feeling something for a 100 percent human."

Serena gave Raven a small smile in return, mentally agreeing that both her and Erik were in a predicament, fiddling with the necklace around her slender neck as she did so. In that moment, Raven considered telling Serena and Erik about what she'd overheard at Charles's school. However she decided against it. Telling would make them more resistant towards their feelings and Raven knew that falling for each other would probably be one of the best things that would happen to them.

"I want to explore what I feel for him." Serena suddenly said "But now I am having doubts. Is that the right thing to do?"

Raven stared at her seriously, looking directly into her light blue eyes.

"You should do what your heart tells you to do." Raven told her softly "Because honestly, when I chose to join Erik it was because it was what my heart wanted. What _I_ wanted."

After she'd said her part, Raven strode from the room, ,leaving Serena to look over her words.

As she walked Raven suddenly collided with something, strong arms gripped her as stumbled, steadying her in place.

"Thank y-" She started to say but her words halted when she saw that she was staring into the light green-eyed gaze of Damian.

"Woah steady there." He replied derisively.

Raven tore her arms from his grasp glaring at him icily.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She snapped.

Damian smirked. "So eager to get rid of me huh? After I just saved your life."

Raven snorted. "You didn't save my life."

Damian raised his eyebrows, pointing down to something below Raven's feet.

"On the contrary." He said as Raven looked down to see what he was pointing at.

As she looked she saw a stray piece of glass, perhaps from a mirror, buried deep into the wooden floor of the landing. It was standing perfectly upright and if Raven had fell like she would've, her head would currently be impaled in the glass.

Raven looked up at him, shocked.

"Your welcome." He said winking, before walking abruptly away from her.

Raven stared after him, her eyes narrowing. Whatever game he was playing, Raven was sure that she didn't want to be part of it.

* * *

Alisa winced as her foot ground on something beneath her, making a lot of noise. It was crucial that she was quiet, so she therefore needed to avoid stepping on things that would cause a disturbance. Behind her, Fate tiptoed quietly, her mind on full alert as she surveyed the corridors. They were currently creeping out of Charles's school, headed somewhere they knew Charles wouldn't approve of. Alisa had rendered herself and Fate invisible, also using her mutant ability to make them mentally invisible as well, shielding their thoughts from Charles. Despite their invisibility, paranoia was still prominent within them. What if they still got caught?

After moments of endless creeping, they finally excited the school from a secret passageway that Alisa had found ages ago. The walked quickly to Fate's car, the one that she had used to drive to Charles's school and slid into it subtly with Fate in the drivers

Seat.

"Do you know where to go?" Alisa asked Fate.

Fate glared at her, already annoyed with the young mutant. She hadn't wanted to defy Charles but she felt like that the mission was necessary, just like taking along Alisa was necessary also.

"Yes of course I do." She snapped.

Alisa shrugged. "You can see into the future but your not a Sat Nav. I was just making sure."

Fate didn't reply, instead gritting her teeth and turning on the engine. The car roared to life and within moments they were speeding away from Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. There was no traffic on the roads which made it easier for Fate and Alisa to reach their destination quicker. Within 10 minutes they had arrived where they were, satisfied with themselves for successfully sneaking away from Charles.

Fate parked the car and both of them climbed out.

"We did it." Alisa grinned.

Fate couldn't help but grin back. "Yes we did."

Together, they walked entered the building and made there way up to Serena's apartment.

Being mutants, they found a way to unlock her door, and when they'd done that they began to search around, looking for anything that could be useful to them.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Alisa asked as she searched through a pile of old books.

"Just information about Serena, maybe if we know more about her than it will be easier to help her." Fate replied.

"We can't stop Erik from falling in love with her." Alisa commented.

"No but we can keep him away from her. Or we could at least try." Fate replied.

After half an hour of searching, they were about to give up when Fate stumbled across an old journal that looked as if it was from the 17 or 1800's. The journal was almost falling apart, dishevelled and dilapidated. However, when Fate opened it she saw words that were clearly decipherable. She called Alisa over to take a look and she flickered to the last page as they both began to read:

_November 1763 _

_Our secret society has located the mutants. We are eager to expose them to the world, however they are difficult to catch and it may be a long time before the public learns about them. I know that I will be long dead when you read this but I feel that you should know about these mutants before they do something that may be a danger to us humans. They have existed for as long as humans have and they need to be stopped. _

_There is a necklace. A necklace that has been passed down in our family for generations. This necklace acts as a defence against mutants, making them unable to read your mind, and use their mutant abilities against you. If they want to kill you they will have to do it the old fashioned way. Be safe. And make sure you wear the necklace at all times. I have placed the necklace in between the leather that covers this journal. Make sure you preserve both this journal and the necklace and ensure that it is passed down to future generations. Remember what were fighting for. _

_John Clark _

Fate and Alisa stared in shock at the journal, its content rendering them speechless. Fate looked between the leather of the journal and saw that the necklace was nowhere to be found.

"That must mean that Serena is wearing this necklace right now. Which means that our abilities are useless against her." Alisa breathed.

Fate shook her head in awe. "This situation just got a lot worse."


	11. Feelings

**Okay so I seriously apologise for taking so long for to write this! I just hope that this chapter makes up for it! Again I am really sorry and I will try to update faster next time! Anyway please tell me what you think! **

* * *

Erik sighed as he walked alongside Azazel and Damian. There was a silence in the air that had been present ever since they'd left the house, a silence which Erik assumed would continue on for the rest of the journey.

Erik hated the silence because it encouraged his thoughts to wander to areas where he didn't want to go. Areas of which would get him into a lot of trouble if his companions were to know about them.

"So Erik do you actually know where were going?" Damian questioned derisively.

His tone caused Erik to scowl, as he suppressed the irritation that threatened to come over him.

"Yes I do." Erik replied adamantly, his tone cold.

Right at that moment, he was in no mood to tolerate Damian's incompetent humour as all he wanted was to retrieve the materials and return to the house.

Azazel had offered to teleport them their but he didn't know where to go. Plus Erik wanted to walk as he figured that it might help clear his head. Erik wasn't surprised to discover that the walk did the opposite.

The cheerful setting that they viewed as they walked did nothing to improve Erik's mood either. Just like the walk wasn't having the desired affect; the sight of the beautiful scenery around Erik also irked him to no end. He found it unfair that everything had to look so cheerful when he himself was basking in misery as a result of his own confusion.

Sensing Erik's mood, Damian didn't speak again. Instead his mind wandered to what he would do when their mission was completed and he finally had his freedom.

Despite not having a mutation that altered his physical appearance, Damian had still always felt like he didn't belong. In a world full of humans, it was valid until he discovered other mutants. It was then that he decided that the humans had ruled long enough. It was time for them to release just how inferior they really were.

Damian studied Erik all of a sudden, frowning at the vacant expression that occupied his features. Damian wasn't stupid and had already realised that there was something going on between him and the human named Serena. Instead of getting upset over this, Damian had decided to leave it. After all, Serena was probably just like any other human and once Erik saw that his infatuation with her would cease soon enough.

Around half an hour had passed before they finally reached their destination.

It was a cave, spacious and containing millions of jagged rocks that were glued to the exterior and interior. As Erik started to approach it he scanned the cave for the materials they were looking for. The most important material they needed was buried deep within the cave, however it was essential if they wanted to succeed in their plan.

"So where is it?" Damian asked impatiently.

Erik refrained himself from throwing him against the wall of the cave.

"Deep in the cave. No one would be foolish enough to put it near the entrance would they?" Erik snapped in reply.

Damian answered with a smirk that was slightly concealed by a shadow.

"You might be surprised. There are many foolish people out there." He remarked.

_Yes like you_, Erik thought to himself before entering the cave, Azazel and Damain trailing behind him. As they travelled deeper into the cave, Erik squinted his eyes due to the darkness that surrounded them. Azazel's and Damian's footsteps were faint but distinctive behind him, creating frequent noises that echoed in the silence.

All of a sudden, a green light engulfed the cave, making all of the jagged rocks inside visible. Erik looked behind him to find Damian holding a green ball of light in his hands.

Erik raised an eyebrow as Damian smirked.

"It was dark." He said sardonically.

Erik gritted his teeth, once again restraining himself from replying in a way that would inevitably cause trouble.

"I was aware of that." Erik snapped before continuing to lead the way into the cave.

The light made a very significant difference and enabled them to dodge obstacles of sharp rocks and unexpected dead ends more easily. After another half an hour of searching thet came across a new part of the cave. Erik halted in his step and stared at his surroundings in awe.

In front of him was a large lake that shimmered as the surface of the water rippled. The lake was surrounded by a sheet of inadequately spaced rocks. The roof of this part of the cave was domed and didn't contain any jagged rocks, the surface instead being smooth and unbroken.

It was as if it had been perfectly sculpted for a purpose, a purpose that Erik had a theory about. In this moment, he was so struck with the sight that the chaos that was his mind ceased to exist. Instead he became completely focused on his goal, with no obstacles to get in his way.

"I am assuming that this is where the metal is." Erik stated as they entered the peculiar part of the cave.

"Yes but where is it?" Damian demanded, his eyes searching for the metal that was the essential key to their plan. Again, Erik felt the spur of irritation that rose within him whenever he interacted with Damian. Like always, he suppressed it and answered him.

"Wait." He commanded.

Erik closed his eyes and summoned his mutant ability to control metal. Although he'd never moved anything that he couldn't see before, he felt that it would be prudent to start trying then. He tried to see if he could sense the metal and after a few moments he found it. In the next moment, Erik started to pull the metal from its hiding place. He wasn't entirely sure of its exact location by the was still able to latch onto it. A few seconds later, a giant crate emerged from the lake, causing Azazel and Damain to jump in surprise.

Erik aimed his stretched out hand at the crate and pulled it towards him, settling it on the rock beside him.

Damian stared at Erik in shock. He was aware that Erik was powerful, however he'd clearly underestimated the extent of his power. The thought of this made Damian angry with himself, irked by his own foolish pride. He was almost certain that he wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Erik again. It was clear that he was an asset to the cause, whether he harboured potential feelings for a human or not.

Damian whistled low as he examined the crate.

"Here it is. Adamantium in the flesh." He said.

Erik gave him a look. "Not quite in the flesh."

Before Damian could reply, a jagged rock flew from nowhere and lodged itself into Erik's arm. He cried out in pain, clutching his arm as it buried itself deeper with some inhuman strength before falling out abruptly. Damian stared at Erik in astonishment, surprised by the random attack. Erik turned livid eyes on Damian, anger boiling inside of him.

He stretched out the hand that was covered in his own blood, latching onto the metal that he knew was surgically implanted into Damian's skull. Damian's face contorted in agony when Erik clenched his fist, causing the metal to squeeze the bones beneath the metal.

"Why did you do that?" Erik snarled.

Damian felt his eyes begin to water from the pain.

"I-I didn't." He whimpered.

Erik increased the pressure, causing Damain to cry out.

"Liar, who else could've done it?" Erik spat.

"I-I don't know. But it wasn't me. I swear." Damian stammered through the pain.

He'd dropped to his knees and was clutching his head as if this would relieve the pain.

Erik contemplated his words before releasing the pressure, causing Damian to sigh in relief.

"Come on." He ordered, laying a hand on Damian's arm and the other on the crate.

Damian took hold of Azazel's arm and together they teleported back to the mansion, the mystery of what had just happened plaguing Erik's mind.

* * *

Fate and Alisa hurried back to their car, eager to tell Charles about what they'd just discovered. They'd contemplated taking the journal with them as proof but then they remembered that Charles would be able to see the truth in their minds anyway. They were aware that he wouldn't be pleased that they snuck out without his permission. However, they hoped that their new discoveries would be more than enough to make up for their disobedience. As soon as they got in the car, Fate started the engine and they sped back to Charles's school, Alisa letting out a couple of shrieks on the way when Fate almost crashed into something.

Within 8 minutes, Fate pulled up outside Charles's school, wincing as the engine made a loud noise before she shut it down.

"What?" Alisa questioned, noticing Fate's wince.

Fate shook her head. She knew that Alisa would probably tease her for being a little scared about Charles's catching them. Understanding dawned on Alisa instantly. But instead of being teasing like Fate expected, her tone was soft and soothing.

"Don't worry about Charles. He'll be angry but he'll still listen to us. You don't know him as well as I do." Alisa reassured her.

Fate nodded, acknowledging that she was right. Together, they climbed out of the car and entered the school by the secret passageway they'd originally escaped from.

"Shouldn't you turn us invisible?" Fate asked as they hurried down the passageway.

Alisa rolled her eyes. "No, we want to get caught remember?."

Fate was about to answer when Alisa halted abruptly in front of her. Fate glared at her, angry that she almost bumped into her.

"Hey-" She started to protest before her words got stuck in her throat. She'd looked in front of her and had noticed that none other than Charles's sat there in his wheelchair watching them with a serious expression on his face.

Fate glanced at Alisa and saw that she looked petrified.

_So much for knowing him well_, Fate thought as she watched Charles turn and make his way down the passage way. The girls followed them assuming that was what he wanted them to do. He lead them to his study where he closed the door and went to place himself behind his desk. Fate and Alisa sat on the chairs in front of the desk, their gazes trained on their laps.

"So, who's going to tell what you two were doing?" He questioned softly.

This was exactly what Fate was afraid of. She would've preferred it if he had shouted at them. But instead she was subjected to be the victim of that disappointed gaze that Charles's was giving them both.

"You should already know." Alisa said quietly.

"I haven't read your minds because I would like to hear your story first." Charles replied.

Fate and Alisa glanced at each other, wondering which one of them should tell the story. When Alisa didn't say a word, Fate sighed.

"Well we decided to break into Serena's apartment. We thought it would be useful since we could find out more information about and it would make it easier to help her. So we found out where she lives and we drove there. But then we found something interesting." Fate said before stopping. She'd said her bit, now it was Alisa's turn.

"We found a journal with an entry from one of Serena's ancestors. It describes a necklace that makes the wearer immune to the powers of mutants.

Its been passed down in her family for generations." Alisa explained.

Charles's looked at them both in awe. He trusted them but he had to see for himself. Using his powers, he looked into their memories and saw that they were telling the truth.

"This is extraordinary." He breathed.

Alisa raised an eyebrow. "Yes extraordinarily bad. The necklace was supposed to be left in the journal but it wasn't in there. Which means that Serena must be wearing it-"

"Oh yes." Charles's cut in, comprehension starting to dawn on him, "If Erik finds out about this-"

"There's more." Fate said. Charles waited for her to continue.

"It seems that Serena's family have been hunting down mutants from the 1700's, maybe even before that."

Charles's expression darkened. "Well it seems we have a problem here don't we?"

The girls nodded, sombre expressions on their faces.

"Do you think that she knows?" Alisa asked "She must do if she has the necklace."

"Even if she knows, lets just hope for her sake that Erik doesn't know as it will be the death of her, whether he loves her or not." Charles stated.

Fate processed Charles's words, deep down knowing that he was right.

* * *

Serena turned the page of the book she was currently engrossed in, the smell of the ancient pages filling her nostrils. She'd discovered the book when she'd decided to explore the house, deeming it safe as Damian was out with Erik. After a few minutes, she'd discovered a small library containing hundreds of books. The books were clearly old as they were bound by leather with intricate patterns on the spines. As Serena liked to read in her spare time, she was fascinated by the books and grabbed the first one she could find.

When she returned to her room, she concluded that Erik wasn't the type of man she'd would've expected to have a personal library. The fact that he did made him even more interesting in her eyes, making the fluttery feeling that she felt whenever he was near her more prominent than before.

After she'd settled on the bed and made herself comfortable she opened the book and started to read. She'd instantly been captured by the eloquent words, completely escaping the world around her. Just as Serena finished the page she was on, the sound of male voices coming from downstairs broke into her reading. Her heart skipped a beat as she knew that it meant that Erik was back. Without thinking, she rushed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about.

When she arrived downstairs, she halted abruptly when she saw Erik. His arm wand hand were covered in blood and his face was contorted in pain. Serena's heart lurched at the sight of it. In the middle of the living room, a giant crate occupied most of the space.

Erik glanced up and saw Serena gawping at him. He clenched his jaw, angry at the fact that she had to see him like that.

"What happened?" She gasped.

Damian, who was standing beside Erik, watched them both carefully. Erik noticed this and replied nonchalantly.

"It does not concern you." He stated.

Serena attempted to not feel hurt at his words but failed, however her expression turned hard.

"Don't be ridiculous." She snapped, "Let me help you."

Without thinking about it, she walked over to Erik and wrapped her arm around his waist, supporting him. Erik was so shocked at the sudden contact that he didn't try to resist, letting him pull her upstairs towards her room.

Raven, who'd just been standing in the corner, watched them with a sly smile on her face.

"What are you smiling at?" Damian smirked.

Raven scowled at him because she knew that due to his mutation, he already knew the answer to his question.

Meanwhile, upstairs Serena escorted Erik towards her bed and forced him to sit down on it. When he was sitting down, she scanned the room for something she could use to treat his wound. She didn't have that much knowledge of that type of stuff, however she felt that she needed to do something that would subside her pounding heart.

Erik watched her, his own heart hammering in his chest. His emotions were conflicted as he wandered whether he should assert his authority or just let her take care of him. In the end, authority ran out.

"Serena, what are you doing?" He asked her, irritated.

Serena glared at him. "Looking for a first aid kit or something like that."

Erik chuckled at this. "Serena we're mutants, we don't need a first aid kit."

"Clearly you do!" Serena snapped in response, gesturing to his bloody arm.

Erik clenched his fists, again angry that he had to appear weak in front of her.

" I am fine Serena." He told her adamantly.

Anger seized Serena abruptly. She was so worried about him and yet at the same time she was irked by his superior attitude, his incompetence to admit that he was injured.

"No your not! I know that you're the big bad mutant and your not used to being injured but your not immortal Erik. You. Can. Get. Hurt. So will you just shut up and let me help you!" Serena snapped at him.

Erik stared at her, taken aback by her words. It was always when he thought he was used to her boldness that she always seemed to take him by surprise. Serena sighed, her anger disappearing.

"I'll be back." She said, leaving the room to find something to treat Erik's wound with.

In the next moment, She returned with a wet cloth in her hand, her expression blank.

Serena sat down next to Erik, there knees touching as she laid part of his arm across her lap. Erik was overwhelmed with emotions, both uncomfortable and excited by the sudden close proximity. Serena ignored her the tingling sensations that erupted throughout her body as she started to dab the wet cloth on Erik's wound.

Erik watched her. Her face was screwed up in concentration as she adequately cleaned the wound, applying just the right amount of pressure. Her movements were soft and fluent, holding no trace of malice and instead harboured something Erik didn't want to name.

Their faces were merely inches apart, and Erik found himself wanting to close the distance between them. He knew that he shouldn't feel like that. He knew that he should despise Serena with every fibre of his being. But he didn't. And in that moment he didn't care.

"Serena-" He started to say.

"Shut up." Serena said, her tone soft despite her words.

"Serena." Erik said again.

Serena sighed, irritation starting to rise within her.

"What?" She snapped, lifting her head up to look at him.

Erik stared at her and she stared back. Slowly he started to lean towards her, his face filled with determination. Serena's breath hitched in her throat and in that moment she was paralysed. And then all of a sudden, she felt Erik's lips brush against hers before he kissed her quickly.

It only lasted for a second. Immediately afterwards, Erik pulled away, rising to his feet and striding out the room. But in that second, Serena's body had erupted in sensations that she'd never felt before in her life. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss and her heart beat had quickened, the feeling in her stomach heightened dramatically.

She stared after him in shock. Her mind unable to form coherent thoughts. All she could do was replay the kiss in her mind.

For the first time in his life, Erik had felt alive. He became aware of every part of his body, his senses heightening as he touched his lips to Serena's. In that second, he'd been able to forget his past and just focus on that one kiss that they shared. Then afterwards, it all came crashing down on him. However, Erik still couldn't shake that alive feeling that he had. He knew that it was because of her. He also knew that after the kiss, he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He couldn't ignore the fact that he was beginning to have feelings for the person that was a member of the species that he despised.


	12. Going home

**I've updated faster than last time! So proud! I am going to try and do a chapter every week. If I don't then I give you permission to nag me until I do. Anyway here is the next chapter!**

* * *

Later on that day, Serena sat upright under the covers of her bed, reading the book that she'd been engrossed in before. Her heartbeat was still erratic from the kiss and the only way she knew to calm it down was to distract herself. She hadn't seen Erik at all since the kiss and she wandered whether it had changed things between them. Would he ignore it and go back to being how they were? She hoped that that wouldn't be the case. However, something told her that this was exactly what was going to happen.

Serena sighed in frustration, in that moment wishing that she were a mutant so she'd be able to see how Erik felt about the matter. He'd made the first move. However, that didn't mean that he'd had the same reaction to it as Serena did. There was a chance that he hated it and made him feel even more hatred towards humans. This possibility made Serena feel sick with nerves, fuelling her decision to stop thinking about it and carry on with her reading.

All of a sudden, Raven entered the room, giving Serena a sly smile as she did so.

"Hey." She greeted her cheerfully.

Serena looked up from her book with an raised eyebrow.

"Hey. What's got you so cheerful?" She asked Raven.

Raven shrugged, a big smile still on her face as she got some clothes out of the drawers next to her bed. She turned her back to Serena and changed into the clothes, sitting on her bed when she did so.

"Oh nothing, just the mystery of your love life." Raven teased.

Her comment caused Serena's eyes to widen, wandering if Raven knew about the kiss. Serena then tried to cover up her reaction by appearing nonchalant.

"What- I don't know what your talking about." Serena said innocently.

Raven smirked. "Don't play dumb with me. I saw you and Erik go upstairs together. You told me there was something between you two. So did anything happen?"

Serena felt a blush creep on her cheeks involuntarily, revealing her lie.

Raven noticed and chuckled, clapping her hands in excitement. Serena cursed herself for not remaining cool but she had no control over her feelings when it came to Erik.

"Tell me what happened!" Raven pleaded as she bounced over and settled herself on Serena's bed, "I want all the details."

Serena groaned, putting a hand across her face in embarrassment. "I feel like I am 16 again."

Raven smirked. "Who said that's a bad thing?"

This caused Serena to raise an eyebrow again before sighing at Raven's eager expression.

"Your sad, do you know that?" Serena told her.

"Serena start talking please." Raven snapped.

Serena held her hands up in surrender.

"Okay okay so when I helped him upstairs he sat on my bed. And then I went out of the room to get a cloth to clean his wound with. So then I started to clean the wound and after that we-" Serena paused, not wanting to continue.

"You…" Raven hinted.

"We kissed." Serena said quickly.

Raven's jaw dropped open. "Seriously?"

Serena nodded shyly in response. Suddenly, Serena felt a sharp pain on her arm from where Raven punched her abruptly.

"Ow!" Serena yelped.

"It's about time!" Raven snapped.

Serena rubbed her arm while giving Raven a wary look. Raven watched Serena happily. She was glad that Erik had found someone. She hoped that Serena would be the one to change Erik for good and hopefully make him back into the person he was before his mother was killed.

"So how was it?" Raven asked slyly.

Serena couldn't contain the sigh that escaped her. "It was amazing."

Raven grinned at her and Serena grinned back. In that moment, they both forgot who they were and why they were there, and they just became two friends sharing secrets that they would swear to never tell anyone else.

* * *

Serena yawned as she woke up the next morning, slowly opening her eyes as she sat upright so that she could stretch her muscles. Her and Raven had stayed up for most of the night discussing Erik, and during Serena's continuous monologue Raven had fallen asleep. Serena fell asleep shortly after that, her mind still contemplating the kiss in her dreams.

As Serena stretched, she opened her eyes fully and then let out a little shriek when she noticed that Erik stood directly opposite her, watching her. Quickly, she pulled the bed covers up self-consciously, not wanting him to see that she slept in her clothes. She ran a hand through her hair, attempting to tame the birds nest that her hair had become.

Erik refrained from smirking at Serena's appearance. Her expression was a mixture of shock and tiredness and her hair was an absolute train wreck, tending to stick up in odd places. However, Erik couldn't help but find this very appealing. He had to stop himself from imagining what It would be like to wake up to that every morning.

"Erik, what the hell!" She snapped, glaring at him.

Erik looked her up and down, his expression serious, however Serena detected a hint of amusement hidden in there as well.

"Get dressed." He commanded, "Were leaving."

Serena raised an eyebrow at his tone, wandering what had gotten into him. It was true that Erik had always held a some-what condescending demeanour but this had started to slip ever since they'd been getting close. Now, Erik sounded like the man he was when he'd first took her, the man that Serena had hated. Her stomach lurched at this, hoping that Erik was merely keeping up pretences in front of Raven. Raven appeared to be asleep but Serena knew that she was listening since Raven was a extremely light sleeper.

"And where are we going?" Serena inquired.

Erik was accustomed to Serena's constant questions so his expression remained the same.

"Back to where we came from, now get dressed." Erik turned away from her and strode towards the door.

"You too Raven." He added, before he exited.

Serena stared after him in astonishment. If she'd had known that was going to be his reaction to the kiss than she never would've kissed him back. Serena had given up all hope that Erik was pretending to be cold. She knew when he was being genuine and it was prominent that he was behaving with intention.

Serena glanced over at Raven, who had sat up in bed and was looking at her. Raven shrugged as if to say,_ I am sure he__'__ll come around_. Serena rolled her eyes in response, knowing that this wasn't true. Climbing out of bed, Serena walked over to the wardrobe facing her bed and took some clothes from it, not caring whether they looked right or fit properly. She heard Raven rise and get some clothes out, her bed squeaking as she rose from it. The clothes that Serena already had on where quite thin so she was able to slide these new clothes on them. She realised that she'd picked out jeans, which she figured were women's by the way they fit, however she was wearing a man's shirt.

Serena sniffed the shirt and realised that it was Erik's as his strong, firm scent clung to the material. She contemplated changing her shirt but decided against it, wanting to rile Erik up for being so dismissive to her. When Serena turned, Raven was already dressed. She gave Serena a small smile before walking out of the door. Serena scanned the room to see if she'd left anything before she remembered that she didn't bring anything.

Just as she was about to leave, Serena took one last look at the room. It was significant in some way. It was were her and Raven had first bonded, where she first kissed Erik. Serena hoped that even though things with Erik weren't going to work out she hoped that Raven would still treat her the same.

On that note, Serena left the room and walked downstairs to find Erik, Emma, Azazel, the man who she thought was called Riptide, Damian and Raven waiting for her. Erik frowned as he realised that Serena was wearing on of his shirts. He hated the fact that he felt possessive over her, and this feelings seemed to increase at the sight of her in his belongings. He knew that there was no point in fighting his feelings but he didn't know how else to handle them. He was cold towards her that morning because he had no idea how to react. What he really wanted to do was kiss her again but that was out of the question. Erik was used to being in control; he wanted it to stay that way.

When Serena got downstairs, Erik told them all to hold each others wrists.

Since Serena was standing next to Erik, he grabbed her wrist, ignoring his body's reaction to her touch. Serena's breath hitched in her throat at the contact, wishing that he would just release her but at the same time wanting him to pull her closer. Erik put his hand on the crate and then together they all teleported back to the hideout.

Serena stared at her new surroundings, having grown accustomed to fine houses instead of metal walls. Erik dropped Serena's arm abruptly, discarding it as had suddenly caught fire. Despite, the fact that he enjoyed touching her, he knew that holding on to her for too long would arouse suspicion. Erik scowled, annoyed at the fact that he was unable to express his feelings, despite the fact that he didn't know how to handle them. As well as not knowing how to act around her, Erik also to adapted this cold demeanour to keep Damian at bay. Erik knew Serena wasn't particularly fond of him like this. He could see the disdain in her eyes every time she looked at him since the kiss. He hated it but he knew that it was crucial.

Erik glanced at Serena, who was still standing in the same place while everyone else had gone about their business, frowning as she surveyed her surroundings. He could tell that she missed the vibrant colours of Switzerland.

"Serena." Erik said, pulling her out of her trance.

Serena refrained from jumping at the unexpected sound of Erik's deep voice. She couldn't help what that voice did to her, especially now that she was willing to admit that it had an effect on her.

"Yes?" She inquired, looking up at him.

Erik sighed, laying a hand on her upper arm and leading her towards the metal doors that were situated either side of the room. Serena struggled under his grip, anger starting to come to the surface at his assertiveness. Erik gripped her arm tighter, dragging her along the metal corridors. All of a sudden, they stopped in front of one of the walls, Erik walking up to it and pressing his hand against the metal Serena was taken aback when the wall started to separate, revealing a decorated room.

As Serena stepped into the room, she looked at Erik in shock as a result of what she saw. In the middle of the room, was a mahogany fireplace that flickered frequently due to the vibrant flames. A patterned rug and leather armchairs faced the fire place, a wooden table situated in between. To Serena's left was a small bookshelf that still managed to contain quite a decent amount of books. The floor beneath Serena's feet was wooden, sometimes creaking when she made a slight movement.

Erik watched her, his hands joined behind his back.

"Erik. W-" Serena breathed, shaking her head at him.

"This room blocks out everybody's mutations accept for my own. I come here when I don't want Emma intruding on my thoughts. That's why I brought you here." Erik explained.

Serena nodded, stroking one of the leather armchairs.

"Who knew you had style?" She remarked, causing Erik to smile.

Serena noticed this and beamed at him, happy to see a trace of the Erik she'd come to have feelings got.

"Lets just say I have a good eye." He replied derisively, before staring at her intensely. Serena flushed, her intuition telling her that his sentence had a double meaning.

She cleared her throat. "So what did you want to say to me so bad that you don't want Emma or Damian to hear?"

Erik ran hand through his hair, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation, He knew that that if he voiced his thoughts to Serena then he would have a lot of explaining to do to the others. However, in that moment he decided to be more concerned about Serena's well being instead of his own.

"It was clear quite a while ago that you were never going to tell me anything. That you didn't even possess any valuable knowledge anyway. But I've kept you here for my own selfish reasons." Erik said firmly "I've kept you here because you intrigue me Serena. And I couldn't let you go without completely unfolding the intricacies of your personality."

Serena didn't know what to say to his words, instead shocked at his sudden honesty. All that she was aware of was Erik and the way that her heart clung on to his every word, even if her head didn't want her to.

"Suddenly you became something more than someone who held my curiosity. And its because of this that your free to leave." Erik concluded.

Serena's eyes widened, his statement shocking her more than ever.

"What?" She gasped, still not believing what she'd just heard.

"I Sid that you're free to leave." Erik repeated.

He knew it would be difficult to explain Serena's departure however the smile that spread across her face a that moment made up for any difficulties he would face.

"Thank you." She cried, rushing over to him.

Erik jumped at the sudden contact, before relaxing into it as it would be the first and last time he'd ever hold in his arms. A part of him wanted to keep her prisoner there and with him at all times just so that he didn't have to lose her. However, Erik knew he couldn't do that.

Serena let go of him and smiled. She was happy about returning to her apartment However, the rest of her was miserable at the fact that she'd lose the people she'd came to love. Although it hadn't been for very long, she'd miss sleeping in the same room as Raven. She'd miss confiding in her, while Raven gave her deep advice. But most of all, she would miss Erik. Serena knew that losing him was out of the question.

Unexpectedly, Serena reached out and cupped Erik's cheek, stroking the stubble around his mouth.

"I have to go home Erik." She told him, "But that doesn't meant that this is it. Your something more to me too. I can't lose you."

Erik turned away from her, causing her to drop her hand.

"How? Theres no way we could make this work. I am supposed to hate you." Erik snapped.

"No one is supposed to hate anybody. Your just making excuses. If you really want this then you will fight for it. Just like you fight for mutants everyday. I am to fight for it, are you?" Serena snapped in reply.

Erik took a second to answer, despite the fact that he already knew what he was going to say.

"I'll fight for it." He replied adamantly.

Serena smiled, her heart thumping with joy.

"I'll see you later then. My apartment later this evening. 8'o'clock. Don't late." She told him, before turning to leave.

Erik her out and smirked as he watched her walk down the ,etal corridors. He waited for her to call him so that he could take her home, which she did seconds later. Erik chuckled while thinking, _What have I got myself into_?


	13. Finding out

**Okay so I am just going to apologise for not updating! I have had so much homework I can't even tell you. I must warn you that the next chapter may take a long time as well because I have exams but I will try to update as soon as possible! Anyway, for now enjoy this chapter! (Its slightly longer than the others) :) **

* * *

As Erik strode back into the hideout he was greeted with suspicious faces. Erik scowled at them, not happy to be the centre of attention for once and not in the mood to deal with their relentless questions. Only, minutes ago he'd been with Serena, dropping her back to her apartment he knew that she'd missed. Erik couldn't help but enjoy the smile that lit up her face when she stepped back into her apartment. In that moment, he'd almost felt guilty for taking her, but them quickly qlenched his remorse as he knew that if he hadn't they would've never met.

After Serena had gotten over the shock of being back home, she'd given Erik a small smile.

"Thank you." She'd said, her tone genuine.

Erik looked at her seriously, still not quite believing the effect she had on him.

"Your welcome." He said back.

Serena again while trying to calm her racing heart.

After that, their eyes had locked together, tied to each other in an unbound able cord.

They were unaware of how long they stood there, but for both of them it felt like merley a second. In that second, Erik had been paralysed with fear. Fear of what was forming between him and Serena. There were very few things that Erik was afraid of, but become weak and powerless was one of them, which is exactly how he felt with Serena. However, he felt those things in a good way. There was something about Serena that brought out the decency in him and he hated.

He didn't mind being soft towards Serena to a certain extent, but if it effected the way he interacted with others than Erik knew that it was applicable to be alarmed. Yes, Erik had learned that he was capable of feeling something other than hatred, but that didn't mean that he had to forget who he was. He was Erik Lenssherr; Nobody messed with him.

Erik was sure Serena was the only human that he held positive feelings for. His feelings towards her didn't change his descision and he knew that he would still go through with the plan.

Meanwhile, Serena had looked at Erik and thought about how dfferent she felt towards him then compared to when she'd first met him. She'd despised him. But that was before she'd gotten to know him. A part of her wished she'd met Erik under normal circumstances , but then she remembered that she was almost tired of normal.

After they'd broken eye contact, the two had exchanged goodbyes and Erik had drove himself back to where he was then getting subjected to the suspicious glares of his fellow mutants.

"Magneto." Raven barked "Where have you been?"

Erik smirked at Raven's irritated expression, her petulant gaze of on him amusing.

He looked at Emma, who was pouting at him, and then Damian who wore a smirk on his face. Damian looked knowingly at Erik and Erik felt the urge to cause him permant damage.

"Couldn't you live without me for 20 minutes." Erik snapped, but his tone was light and derisive.

Raven glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your wish. But seriously where did you go?" Raven replied back.

Both Damian and Emma's eyes widened at the same time, having both took sneak peak at Erik's thoughts. Erik having sensed their presence in his head, gave a low growl. Stepping towards them, menacingly.

"I never figured you had a death wish." He told them both as he grinned evilly.

Emma looked around in panic.

"I am sorry!" She cried "But why did you let her go?"

This just increased Erik's anger. Unlucky for Emma, she wore a metal belt that clung to her hips perfectly. Erik focused his power on the belt and squeezed, making Emma cry out and clutch her abdomen.

"I'll do whatever I want Emma." Erik said in a low, menacing tone.

Before, focusing his power to the metal in Damian's skull, squeezing. Damian cried out in pain and clutched his head. Raven glared at Erik, appalled at his actions.

Though she was used to Erik's temper, she hated it when he inflicted it on others.

"Magneto stop it!" Raven snapped, as Erik increased his pressure.

Raven's command merely fed Erik's anger, nursing it into something bigger. He'd warned Emma that she was never to look inside his head. He was also aware that Damian was intelligent enough to know not to cross Erik.

"Erik, please." Raven pleaded, giving him a desperate look.

Abruptly, something snapped inside of him at hearing Raven use his real name. Raven had been the only one he'd trusted for a long time and before Serena she was the only one he would show a little bit of kindness to. Reluctantly Erik released his hold, causing Damian and Erik and to gasp in relief.

"Do that again and your dead." He warned both of them, striding out of them room.

Raven gave a side glance at Damian and Emma to check that they were completely alright before following after Erik. Erik strode through the metal doors and up to the elevator which took them out of their living quarters above the hideout.

Raven ran after him, only just catching up to him as he entered the elevator. There was silence for a moment as they stood side by side. Raven glanced at Erik, wanting to speak but not knowing how to phrase it. Erik remained silent in anticipation, sensing that Raven was about to bombard him with questions and accusations. The Elevator doors opened and Erik stepped out, Raven trailing behind him. The corridors around them were now filled with cream-coloured wall paper, antique furniture dotted in adequate positions. Below them, the carpet was red and incredibly soft. Erik walked towards his room as Raven finally decided what her next words were going to be.

"So why did you let her go?" Raven asked him.

Erik clenched his jaw, slightly irked by the question. He knew he'd have to be face Raven's questions sooner or later but at that moment, though anticipated, he still didn't want to hear them.

"I think you know why." He said as he opened the door to his room.

Erik's room was simple. There was a large, double bed in the middle of the room with a wardrobe opposite. The rest of room contained various bookshelves.

Erik went and sat on his bed, trying his best to ignore Raven's presence. Raven stepped forward, as if she were about to walk into the room. Erik raised an eyebrow, causing

Her halt in step.

"I don't recall giving you permission to enter." Erik stated.

Raven scowled at him, disobeying him by continuing to walk into the room.

"Don't change the subject. I don't know why you let her go. Please. Enlighten me." Raven said as she folded her arms across her chest.

Erik sighed, knowing that Raven's stubbornness would enable her to wait him out until her confessed.

"I let her go because I could tell that she missed her home." Erik stated with the intention of revealing nothing else.

Raven responded with a sly look. She was aware of Erik's discomfort and intended to use this to her advantage. It was everyday that she got to see him like this and the only thing that seemed to invoke this reaction from him was the subject of Serena.

"And why do care what about what she wants." Raven pressed on, with a smirk on her face.

Erik clenched her jaw, immediately detecting Raven's motives.

"Drop it Raven." He warned her.

This only made Raven more eager to get the truth out of him. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear the words directly from Erik's mouth.

"No chance of that Magneto. Come on, spill." Raven pressed.

Erik scowled at her. "No."

Raven narrowed her eyes, slightly amusing Erik with her attempt at a patronizing stare. While under Raven's hostile gaze, Erik contemplated the length's Raven would go to get him to confess. Erik was already uncomfortable with acknowledging his feelings for Serena in his own mind. Confessing to Raven only would only worsen the situation.

All of a sudden, Raven's expression changed abruptly; she grinned at Erik.

"Fine. I'll make it easier for you. You love her, don't you. Just admit it and I'll leave you alone." Raven said.

Erik almost snorted in disbelief but restrained himself. As Raven expected, her remained silent. However, she could tell by the busy expression on his face that he was considering spilling the beans. Erik was trying to conceal his thoughts, but apart of him wanted to talk to someone about what was going on with Serena. These thoughts, made him weak in Erik's eyes, but he didn't think he could contain it any longer.

"I care about her." Erik finally said with gritted teeth.

Raven raised a derisive eyebrow. "Is that it?"

"Don't push me Raven." Erik growled in response causing Raven to laugh.

She put her arm round his shoulder.

"Magneto's in love." She sang.

Erik felt his irritation get the better of him and was about to throw something at Raven with his mutation when Raven suddenly pushed him roughly off the bed and dug her knee onto his back.

"Don't you dare." She warned him.

Erik was in shock, wondering where Raven had learnt to do that.

Raven climbed off him and Erik got to his feet, looking at Raven suspiciously.

"I take Karate Lessons now and then." Raven answered, in response to his gaze.

"Since when?" Erik demanded.

"Since none of your business." Raven snapped in response.

Erik stared at Raven for a moment before shaking his head in awe.

"Get out Raven." He told her as he walked over to his wardrobe.

Raven put her hands on her hips stubbornly. "Why?"

"Because I am meeting Serena soon and plan on getting changed. Unless you want to see me undress?" Erik said mockingly.

Raven shuddered at the thought, looking at Erik distastefully.

"Okay I get the point I am going now. Have fun." She said, winking at him as she walked out the room.

Erik watched her go, his mind wondering to Serena and what would become of them.

* * *

When Serena had walked into her apartment, contentment had filled her instantaneously. The faint smell of vanilla that lingered in the air, due to the scented candles that were dotted around the place, was vivid. Serena's nostalgic feelings had almost reached boiling point before Erik suggested that she go home. However, this didn't mean that she'd forgotten Erik. It seemed that not being near him only made her think about him even more than before. Before Serena would've been irked at that fact but she was so preoccupied with her own happiness that she dismissed it instantly. Instead, she had spent the day walking around her apartment, tidying up in places where she thought it was applicable. She read for a little bit and overall just relished in her own company.

When the evening came, She'd wandered over to her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear for when Erik came round. She wasn't entirely sure what they would be doing, or if it was even a date. All she was aware of was the acceleration of her heart beat every time she thought about it.

After around an hour of searching she finally found an outfit that she thought was appropriate. She then retrieved the rollers that had been locked away in her drawers for ages, having not had a chance to use them, and put them in her hair. Settling into an armchair with the rollers in her hair, Serena pulled a book from her shelf and began to read while she waited for her hair to curl.

She was ready about 2 hour later. Her hair styled and curled, her make up carefully applied, he skin clean and radiant. She hated to admit it, but she was shaking with nerves. She knew what Erik was like. All of a sudden, regret filled her at asking him to her apartment in the first place. It was a spontaneous invitation, one that she couldn't back out of. To try and tame her chaotic feelings, Serena got up and paced, hoping that this would calm her nerves. Just as she'd feared, this only worsened her feelings.

After 10 minutes, the faint knock of the door tore Serena away from her thoughts. Behind the door, Erik stood adamantly, impatiently waiting for Serena to open the door to him. He couldn't help but but curious about what this evening would hold.

A minuscule part of him wanted it to go badly so that he'd have an excuse not to have feelings for her. However, his desire to spend time with her overwhelmed this thought, pushing it into the deep corners of his mind. Serena walked to the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Her eyes swept over Erik's tall form, his piercing blue eyes and light brown hair that was slicked back. His clothes were casual, but made him still look very attractive. Serena wondered at that moment how she'd restrained herself when having first encountered Erik. Despite, the fact that she'd hated him back then, it didn't make him any less attractive.

Erik eyes ran over Serena, taking in her curly brown hair and blue eyes identical to his own. Erik had to admit that she looked beautiful, and he could tell that she hadn't even tried to be. Alarm struck Erik as he realised how dangerous this could be, however this alarm was quickly suppressed when Serena spoke.

"Come in." Serena said quietly, concentrating really hard on her words so that she didn't reveal any of her nerves.

Erik obeyed her command stepping into the apartment and automatically walking around to the living room. When he got there, Erik dropped to the floor and settled the wooden box that he'd tucked under his arm onto it. Serena walked in, eyebrows raised at Erik.

"Serena. Speechless. I never thought I'd see the day." Erik chuckled.

Serena scowled at him. "I am not speechless, I am just wandering what your doing."

Erik opened the box and pulled out a chess board along with the pieces.

"Your very inquisitive aren't you." He observed as Serena settled herself opposite him on the floor.

"Its in my nature." Serena replied back, smiling.

Erik smiled in return at this, arranging the chess pieces on the board.

When the pieces were finally in the right place; they started to play.

Throughout the game, Serena kept glancing up at Erik when he wasn't looking, examining the way he scanned the pieces like he was plotting world domination. _Knowing him he probably is_, Serena thought as she moved one of her pieces. Erik enjoyed watching Serena bite her lip slightly as she contemplated which piece to move. The more he watched her the more he wanted to see more.

Finally, Serena won the game, grinning happily at her victory.

"Now you may be able to move metal, but I beat you at chess." She said proudly.

Erik rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her mockingly.

Serena rose to her feet all of a sudden, causing Erik to look up at her.

"I am going to the toilet, I'll be back in a minute." Serena told him, before departing.

As soon as Serena had disappeared from sight, Erik got up and scanned the books on her shelf. It contained some good books, books that he had never had a chance to read. One book in particular stood out in Erik's eyes, and out of curiosity he pulled it out. It seemed to be an old journal, its pages yellowed and dilapidated.

Erik opened it and started to read.

After he'd read it, his face was burning with rage. Serena's necklace protected her from mutations? And he family had been hunting mutants for centuries?

Realisation settled into Erik. Serena was probably calling some of her family members to tell them that she had the baddest mutant alive with her alone. Erik couldn't believe what he'd read, yet it was right there in front of his eyes. The anger and betrayal he felt was overwhelming he gripped the bookshelf in order to get it under control. A lamp with a metal pole attached to it started to shake convulsively as Erik grew angrier. He focused his mutation on the lamp and made it fall roughly to the ground.

It was then that Serena came running from the toilet, her pretty face scrunched up in confusion.

"Erik, what's going on?" She asked him, her tone worried.

Erik clenched his fist, making the bracelet around Serena's wrist tighten. Serena gasped, clawing at her wrist, while staring at Erik wide-eyed at his behaviour. Serena's face pricked at Erik's heart strings, but he ignored it, reminding himself that she was a traitor.

"So you're a mutant hunter?" Erik said casually, as he watched her struggled.

Serena gasped through the pain. "I-I don't know what your talking about."

Erik grabbed the journal and threw it at her.

"This!" He snapped. "This is what I am talking about. You let me down Serena. That was your biggest mistake."

Erik made the bracelet tighten itself even more, pushing itself even more into Serena skin.

"Erik!" She cried out. "Erik, stop it!"

The sound of her cry halted him, releasing his hold on her wrist. Serena clutched her arm to her chest, staring at Erik with fearful and hatred eyes.

Erik stared at her back, no longer seeing the women who he'd come to have feelings for.

"Goodbye Serena." He said adamantly, before stalking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

When he was gone, Serena picked up the journal and read it, gasping as she did so.

Unluckily, she'd taken the necklace off just before she went in the shower before Erik came and forgot to put it back on. She was hurt and appalled by his behaviour, and at the same time she had no idea to react, so she sank to the floor, and put her head in her hands.

As Erik drove back to the hideout, he felt ashamed for how he'd treated Serena. He'd let his anger control him, however that still didn't excuse her betrayal. Erik didn't know how to handle his feelings so he just drove, and carried on driving until he felt like himself again.


End file.
